Police ID girl, 15, as alleged Wisconsin school shooter who killed student and teacher, injured 6
The shooter, Natalie Rupnow, is also dead, police said.
MADISON, Wis. -- A 15-year-old girl opened fire inside the Christian school she attended in Madison, Wisconsin, on Monday, killing a teacher and a student and wounding six others, ABC News reported.
The suspect, Natalie Rupnow, is also dead, police said. Evidence suggests that the teen, who went by Samantha, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The teenage suspect used a handgun, police said. Authorities are investigating the origin of the firearm, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said.
A motive is not clear, Barnes said at a news conference. It is also unclear if any of the victims was specifically targeted, officials said on Monday.
The suspect's father is speaking with police at one of their facilities.
Police are "trying to determine what he knew or may have not known about what happened today, but again, he lost someone as well," Barnes said.
"This has obviously rocked our school community," said Barbara Wiers, the director of elementary and school relations for Abundant Life Christian School. "But we know it affects not just our school community, but Madison and the greater area and all schools."
The shooting took place just before 11 a.m. in a study hall comprising mixed ages and grades.
A second-grader made the 911 call.
"Let that soak in for a minute," Barnes said. "A second-grade student called 911 at 10:57 a.m. to report a shooting at school."
The school does not have metal detectors or a school resource officer, but has other security protocols in place, including cameras, she said.
"Prior To the start of the school year, we had a retraining. We train on this. We do lockdown drills, we do evacuation drills as part of our standard drill protocols. Our students are versed in that. Our faculty are well versed in that," she explained. "The training that we did with [Madison Police Department] at the very beginning of the year, prior to the students returning to campus, had some new updates, and so we had looked at some of those things. So I think everything was very fresh for our faculty."
"I cannot, cannot tell you how well our students did in that process. They were clearly scared when they realized -- when we practice, we always say, 'This is a drill, it is just a drill.' When they heard, 'Lockdown, lockdown,' and nothing else, they knew it was real," Wiers said, adding: "But they handled themselves brilliantly."
Two students are in critical condition with life-threatening injuries, Barnes said, while another three students and a teacher suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Two of the four injured were discharged from SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - Madison on Monday evening.
Officers responded to the active shooter report around 10:57 a.m.
The suspect was dead upon police arrival and no officers fired their weapons, Barnes said.
The shooting was "confined to one space," but it's not clear if it was a classroom or hallway, the chief said.
Police believe that the suspect was already in the school and that there wasn't any breach.
"I never saw so many police cars in my life -- just blue and red lights lining the school, lining the streets. Fire department, paramedics, everybody was there," swarming the usually quiet neighborhood, John Diaz De Leon told ABC News Live.
He said he saw officers with long guns at the scene and older students run from the school across the parking lot.
"Later on, very slowly in a more orderly fashion, the younger students holding hands were let out to go across the parking lot," he said.
The school has been cleared, Barnes said. There's no danger to the community, he said.
The suspect's family is cooperating, the police chief said.
Detectives are investigating whether there were any potential warning signs, Barnes said.
All students had been reunited with their parents by Monday evening, Barnes said. About 390 students from kindergarten through 12th grade attend the private school.
Parents like Mireille Jean-Charles are squeezing their children tightly, knowing at least two families from the school won't get that chance again.
"We always send prayers. We always send thoughts. When are we going to stop doing that? This is not OK," she said.
By the time Karl Gottschalk picked up his young children on Monday, his second grade daughter, Nora, was still shoeless.
"I was in the hallway, and I was changing from my shoes to my boots to go to lunch, because I have recess after, but then I heard the shooting and screams," Nora said. "We went to the church right next to my school, and everyone was panicking still, because a lot of police were there."
"I was on the road. I deliver for a living, and as I saw the cops driving by, then, I got the text from the school. That really hit me hard as I'm driving down the road seeing ambulances," Karl said.
Meanwhile, Wiers thanked first responders for their support and said that the school community is leaning on their faith at this time.
"Our hope is that there will be some good that comes out of this as we can learn and grow and continue to support other schools," Wiers said.
President Joe Biden called the incident "shocking and unconscionable" in a statement Monday evening that called on Congress to act, "now."
He insisted that they pass "commonsense" gun safety laws including universal background checks, a national red flag law and a ban on both assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
"It is unacceptable that we are unable to protect our children from this scourge of gun violence," the statement said, adding, "We cannot continue to accept it as normal."
Biden also mentioned his administration's efforts to combat the gun violence epidemic in the United States, including the implementation of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, while stating that more needed to be done and offering his prayers to those affected in Madison.
The Madison police chief said he began his career as a teacher.
"We owe it to our community to do everything possible to ensure [schools are] not only a special place, but a safe place," he said.
"I hoped that this day would never come in Madison," Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said.
She stressed the need for gun violence prevention and said she wants the community and country to make sure "no public official ever has to stand in this position again."
Jill Underly, Wisconsin's superintendent of public instruction, also emphasized the need for change, saying in a statement, "This tragedy is a stark reminder that we must do more to protect our children and our educators to ensure that such horrors never happen again. We will not rest until we find solutions that make our schools safe."
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said in a statement, "There are no words to describe the devastation and heartbreak we feel," calling the shooting a "gut-wrenching tragedy."
Evers said he and his wife are "praying for the families and loved ones of those whose lives were so senselessly taken and for the educators, staff, and the entire Abundant Life school community."
"It is unthinkable that a kid or an educator might wake up and go to school one morning and never come home," he said. "This should never happen, and I will never accept this as a foregone reality or stop working to change it."
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., wrote on social media, "My sincere condolences and prayers for all the victims of the tragedy at Abundant Life Christian School. I will continue to closely monitor the situation."
Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., tweeted, "I have been briefed on the active shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison and my heart goes out to all those impacted. My office is in touch with local and state officials, and I stand ready to assist law enforcement and anyone affected."
In Biden's full statement, he said:
"Today, families in Madison, Wisconsin, are grieving the loss of those who were killed and wounded at Abundant Life Christian School. It's shocking and unconscionable.
"We need Congress to act. Now.
"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 class room. Students across our country should be learning how to read and write - not having to learn how to duck and cover.
"Jill and I are praying for all the victims today, 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.
"My administration has taken aggressive action to combat the gun violence epidemic. We passed the most significant gun safety legislation in nearly 30 years, I have taken more executive action to reduce gun violence than any other President in history, and I created the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. But more is needed.
"Congress must pass commonsense gun safety laws: Universal background checks. A national red flag law. A ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
"We can never accept senseless violence that traumatizes children, their families, and tears entire communities apart."
In a statement, Vice President Kamala Harris said:
"Over the weekend, our nation paused to remember the innocent children and brave educators who were taken from us 12 years ago when someone armed with a weapon of war walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. Today, 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. 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.
"As we hold our loved ones closer this holiday season, we must resolve to do everything in our power to end this epidemic that has become the leading cause of death for kids throughout America. While we have made necessary progress together over the last four years, including through the most significant gun safety legislation in nearly 30 years and our first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, there is more work to be done to ensure that every person has the freedom to live safe from the horror of gun violence. Congress and state legislatures must make background checks universal, pass red flag and safe storage laws, and ban assault weapons. These commonsense solutions will save lives and make our children and communities safer."
There have been 112 school shootings where at least one victim was injured or killed so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
There have been 487 mass shootings in 2024 as of Dec. 16, including this latest one in Wisconsin. This time last year there were 641 mass shootings.
This is Wisconsin's eighth mass shooting so far this year and Madison's second mass shooting this year.
The Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as one with four or more people injured or killed - not including the perpetrator - counted 656 Mass Shootings in 2023, 646 in 2022, 689 in 2021 and 610 in 2020.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
ABC7 Chicago's John Garcia and Liz Nagy contributed to this report.
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