Police identified the shooter who they said opened fire inside a private Christian school in Madison, Wisconsin, killing a teacher and teen student and injuring six others on Monday.
Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow, who goes by Samantha, opened fire inside Abundant Life Christian School.
Barnes said the shooting took place during study hall with multiple grades in the room.
Police said evidence suggests the shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Barnes added officials are speaking with Rupnow’s father, who he said is cooperating with police.
Emergency vehicles are parked outside the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, where multiple injuries were reported following a shooting on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Scott Bauer)
During a press conference on Tuesday, Barnes clarified that a second grade teacher made the 911 call reporting the shooting. On Monday, Barnes mistakenly said the call had come from a second grade student.
Barnes added that two students are still in critical condition with life-threatening injuries. A teacher and three other students were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Barnes said two of those individuals have since been released.
The teacher and student that were killed in the shooting have not yet been identified.
Barnes said Rupnow used a handgun in the shooting. He said police have not yet determined a motive for the attack.
“Every child, every person in that building is a victim and will be a victim forever. We need to figure out and try to piece together what exactly happened,” Barnes said.
Emergency vehicles are staged outside the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wis., where multiple injuries were reported following a shooting, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Barnes said all students were reunified with their parents.
“A lot has gone on today. I can tell you that it’s not over. I can tell you that our officers and our detectives and our investigators will have to be told to go home. No one is thinking about going home right now, and they’re going to still work as long as they can to find as much information as they can,” Barnes said.
“This is going to be a day that will be etched in the collective minds and memories of all those for Madison.”
Barnes said he did not believe that the school, which serves 200 students according to the school’s website, had a resource officer. It was also revealed that the school did not have metal detectors, but did have cameras and other security protocols.
Police said they train for active shooter situations “almost quarterly,” and that they had most recently conducted the training roughly two weeks ago.
“This is something you prepare for, but that you hope you never have to do,” a police spokesman told reporters. “Today is a sad, sad day.”
President Biden spoke with Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway following the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School and offered his “continued support to help the impacted community.”
Biden also released a statement and said the events that unfolded in Madison were “shocking and unconscionable.”
“From Newtown to Uvalde, Parkland to Madison, to so many other shootings that don’t receive attention – it is unacceptable that we are unable to protect our children from this scourge of gun violence. We cannot continue to accept it as normal. Every child deserves to feel safe in their classroom. Students across our country should be learning how to read and write – not having to learn how to duck and cover,” Biden said.
“We can never accept senseless violence that traumatizes children, their families, and tears entire communities apart.”
Biden added that he and the First Lady were “praying for all the victims, including the teacher and teenage student who were killed and those who sustained injuries.”
“We are grateful for the first responders who quickly arrived on the scene, and the FBI is supporting local law enforcement efforts. At my direction, my team has reached out to local officials to offer further support as needed,” Biden said.
Police investigate as emergency vehicles are parked outside the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wis., where multiple injuries were reported following a shooting, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Vice President Kamala Harris also issued a statement saying “senseless gun violence has once again visited our classrooms as students and teachers in Madison, WI had their last week of school before Christmas break tragically interrupted by a deadly shooting.”
“Doug and I are mourning the student and teacher who were killed and we are praying for all those who were injured, including those who remain hospitalized. We are also thinking of the young people and families who have had their lives forever changed by this act of gun violence,” Harris said.
“And we are sending our gratitude to the educators, members of law enforcement, first responders, and medical professionals who quickly and selflessly jumped into action to ensure that even more lives were not lost in this community,” she continued.
Emergency vehicles are parked outside the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, where multiple injuries were reported following a shooting on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Scott Bauer)
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., posted a statement on his X account calling the “violence in our culture” disturbing.
“Our hearts go out today to the students and faculty of the Abundant Life Christian School. The violence in our culture is disturbing, and it must be dealt with. We are praying for the families of those who lost their lives and the entire Madison community,” Johnson wrote.
Evers ordered the flags of the United States and the state of Wisconsin to half-staff across the state immediately until sunset on Sun., Dec. 22, 2024.
“There are no words to describe the devastation and heartbreak we feel today after the school shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison this morning,” Evers said in a statement.
“As a father, a grandfather, and as governor, it is unthinkable that a kid or an educator might wake up and go to school one morning and never come home. This should never happen, and I will never accept this as a foregone reality or stop working to change it.”
The school also acknowledged the shooting in a post on Facebook, requesting prayers from the community.
“Prayers Requested! Today, we had an active shooter incident at ALCS. We are in the midst of following up. We will share information as we are able. Please pray for our Challenger Family,” the school wrote.
Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wis., where multiple injuries and deaths were reported following a shooting, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (Google Maps)
Later Monday, the school said all students “have been united with their parents and we are grateful for all the support.”
“We have been flooded with thoughts & prayers,” the school said in a Facebook post. “This great nation is behind us. So grateful for the tsunami of prayers for our students, staff, & families.”
A former student of the school, Aaron Nienaber, told Fox News Digital that he attended high school at Abundant Life Christian from 2000 to 2004 and was shocked and saddened to see this happen at a place he cherished.
“It’s very sad to see this happening at a place where I have so many fond memories with the students and faculty, and especially playing on the sports teams. This is not something that anyone would have ever seen coming at this small tight-knit school and community,” Nienaber said.
The FBI’s Milwaukee bureau says it has deployed agents to the scene to assist in investigating.
