The shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin has shaken the community to its core. On Monday, details emerged about the tragic incident that left three people dead, including the 15-year-old female shooter, who was a student at the school. As authorities continue to investigate, the latest update can be found here, and the update can also be viewed in the video above.
Around 11 a.m. on Monday, law enforcement arrived at Abundant Life Christian School after a second-grade student made a chilling 911 call to report a shooting. The school, which serves students from kindergarten through high school, was immediately put on lockdown as authorities worked to secure the scene.
Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes spoke at a news briefing on Monday, expressing the gravity of the situation. “Let that sink in,” he said, emphasizing that the shooting took place in a study hall with students of various ages. By 11:05 a.m., officers had alerted school staff that the shooter was down and a gun had been recovered.
The website for the anti-violence organization Everytown for Gun Safety reports that there have been at least 202 incidents of gunfire on school grounds in 2021, resulting in 56 deaths and 147 injuries. These numbers do not include the latest shooting at Abundant Life Christian School.
The deadliest school shooting this year happened in September at Apalachee High School in Georgia. And in the past two years, 45 people have died in 158 school shootings in 2020 and 67 people died in 181 school shootings in 2021, according to data from Everytown for Gun Safety.
Abundant Life Christian School is a nondenominational school with about 420 students from pre-kindergarten through high school, according to Barbara Wiers, director of elementary and school relations. The school serves approximately 200 families from 56 different churches in the greater Dane County area, including metropolitan Madison and its surrounding communities.
Wiers spoke at a news briefing on Monday, sharing that the school has security measures in place such as cameras, but does not have metal detectors. She also stated that guns are not allowed on campus and that the school regularly practices safety routines. “When they heard ‘lockdown, lockdown,’ they knew it was real,” she said.
The school had recently done a retraining with the Madison Police Department just before the school year started, making the safety protocols “very fresh for faculty,” Wiers added.
Following the tragic incident, the school posted a message on their Facebook page, asking for prayers for the victims and their families.
Authorities have identified the shooter as Natalie Rupnow, who went by Samantha. She was a 15-year-old student at the school. Evidence suggests that she died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, although the official cause of death has not been released by the Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office. The shooter’s father is cooperating with law enforcement, as detectives work to determine a motive.
Madison Police Chief Barnes spoke about the ongoing investigation, saying that they are trying to put together a timeline of the shooter’s last hours before the shooting. They have also requested the ATF to expedite determining the origin of the gun used and how the teen got her hands on it. It is unclear at this time if the weapon was owned or possessed by her parents.
In recent years, there have been two notable cases of parents facing criminal charges after their children were involved in school shootings in Michigan and Georgia.
According to Barnes, at least three people were killed in the shooting, including the suspected shooter. A teacher and another teenage student were also among the victims. Six others, including five students and a teacher, were injured and taken to hospitals. Two students remain in critical condition, while the others have non-life-threatening injuries.
During a news conference, Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway offered condolences to the victims and their families and reassured the community that there is no danger at this time. She also urged anyone in need of mental health support to reach out to the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by phone or text.
President Joe Biden also released a statement, expressing his sadness and offering support to the community. He stated that it is “unacceptable that we are unable to protect our children from this scourge of gun violence” and called for a united effort to prevent these tragedies from happening in the future.
As the community and the nation try to make sense
