Police identify 15-year-old student as Madison Christian school shooter who left three dead, several injured
The assailant herself is one of the deceased, along with another student and another teacher. At least two more people are in critical condition, and some victims have already been released from the hospital.
Screenshot with police at the school after the shooting.
Authorities identified Natalie Rupnow, a 15-year-old student, as the shooter who caused three deaths (her own included) and several injuries at the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wis. The other two fatalities are a teacher and another student. Two other people are in critical condition, while some of the injured have already been released after being treated in the hospital.
In statements to the media, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said Rupnow, who went by the name Samantha, opened fire in a classroom during study hall, where multiple students were in attendance at the time. As a result of the attack, two people lost their lives and six others were injured to varying degrees. The assailant then shot herself to death.
At the moment, the identities of the two deceased have not been reported. Barnes noted that police contacted the assailant's father, who is cooperating with authorities.
According to police, the shooter used a handgun to carry out the attack and, at this time, they have not uncovered any clues regarding the cause of the shooting. "Every child, every person in that building is a victim and will be forever. We have to find out and try to reconstruct exactly what happened," Barnes said.
Madison police chief: Schools are a 'safe place,' don't need metal detectors
The police chief sparked a debate about school security after noting that the school did not have a metal detector. He said that schools "shouldn't have metal detectors" because they are "a safe place."
Politicians condemn attack, reopen gun control debate
"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."
Vice President Kamala Harris issued a statement of her own in which she and her husband expressed their sorrow "for the student and teacher killed and we pray for all those injured, including those still hospitalized. Our thoughts also go out to the young people and families whose lives have been forever changed by this act of gun violence."
Also speaking out on the networks was Speaker Mike Johnson, who said he was "appalled" by "the violence in our culture."
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, a Democrat, ordered flags to fly at half-staff until Sunday. "As a father, as a grandparent and as a governor, it is unthinkable for a child or an educator to get up and go to school one morning and never come home. This should never happen, and I will never accept it as a foreseeable reality or stop working to change it."
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