Three people, including the teenage shooter, were killed in a shooting on Monday at a private Christian school in Wisconsin, while six others were injured, according to local police.
The shooter, identified as 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow, who also went by the name Samantha, was a female student at the school, a law enforcement official told the Associated Press.
Authorities have not determined a motive for the attack, which occurred in a single area within the school. The shooter’s family is cooperating with the ongoing investigation, police reported.
Rupnow was found dead from an apparent suicide when officers arrived at the scene, according to Police Chief Barnes. Barnes withheld additional details about the shooter out of respect for her family.
Police initially reported that five people were dead following the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, but later revised the death toll. According to the Associated Press, the teenage shooter killed a teacher and another teenage student.
Investigators believe the shooter used a 9mm pistol to carry out the attack, a law enforcement official told the Associated Press.
“It’s a sad day for the community and for the country,” Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said during a briefing. “We have to do a little bit better.”
Barnes revealed that the shooting, which took place during a study hall session, was reported to police by a second-grader, typically 7 or 8 years old. A 911 call about an active shooter was made shortly before 11 a.m., and officers arrived at the scene within three minutes, immediately entering the building.
Barnes noted that responding officers did not discharge their weapons. He stated that the shooter likely died by suicide.
Police Chief Shon Barnes later urged compassion for the shooter’s family, emphasizing that the shooter was “still someone’s child.” Authorities reported that the family is cooperating with the investigation.
The White House issued a statement confirming that President Joe Biden had been briefed on the shooting. Federal officials are coordinating with local authorities to provide support. Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers has also been updated on the situation.
In a statement, Biden described the shooting as “shocking and unconscionable,” calling for urgent legislative action on gun control.
“We cannot continue to accept this as normal. Every child deserves to feel safe in their classroom. Students across our country should be learning how to read and write – not how to duck and cover,” Biden said.
He urged Congress to enact “commonsense gun safety laws,” including universal background checks, a national red flag law, and bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
Abundant Life Christian School, located in Dane County, serves approximately 390 students from kindergarten through high school on its 28-acre campus, according to the school’s website. It draws students from about 200 families in the area.
Television footage from the scene showed numerous police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks surrounding the school.
“We are praying for the kids, educators, and the entire Abundant Life school community as we await more information,” Governor Evers said in a statement. “We are grateful for the first responders who acted swiftly.”
Shootings perpetrated by female attackers remain rare, with women accounting for only about 3% of all mass shootings in the U.S., according to studies.
The United States faces an ongoing epidemic of school shootings, occurring at a scale unmatched by any other country. Despite widespread public outcry, legislative efforts to limit access to powerful firearms have repeatedly stalled.
Monday’s tragedy at Abundant Life Christian School is one of nearly 490 mass shootings reported in the U.S. so far this year, based on data from the Gun Violence Archive. The organization defines a mass shooting as one in which four or more people are killed or wounded.
Among this year’s incidents was a September 4th shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, where a 14-year-old former student killed four people, including two students and two teachers, and injured seven others. The teenager’s father was also charged for allegedly providing access to the firearm and ammunition despite warnings of the potential danger.
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