MADISON, Wis. — Two people were killed and six others were injured Monday after a 15-year-old student opened fire at a private school in Madison, Wisconsin, authorities said, the latest school attack to rock the nation.
Officers responded to a call of an active shooter at the Abundant Life Christian School, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said. One teacher and one teen student were killed, he confirmed.
Two students are in critical condition, according to police. Three other students and one teacher suffered non-life-threatening injuries, and two of the victims have been released from hospitals, Barnes added during Monday night’s news briefing. Barnes said earlier in the day that all of the injured victims were students.
“Today is a sad, sad day, not only for Madison but for our entire country,” Barnes said.
A second-grade student called 911 to report an active shooter at 10:57 a.m. local time at the school in Madison, about 80 miles west of Milwaukee, Barnes confirmed. The school was evacuated and officers swept through the school.
Barnes identified the shooter Monday night as Natalie Rupnow, 15, who went by Samantha and attended Abundant Life. He said the shooter was pronounced dead on the way to a local hospital and appeared to die from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
According to Barnes, officers did not fire their weapons and there was no further threat to the public.
Police at one point said the fatalities included four victims plus the shooter, but later lowered the number to two. Madison Fire Chief Chris Carbon said four people were transported to SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital, while others were taken to University of Wisconsin hospitals.
Authorities recovered a handgun they believe was used in the shooting, according to Barnes. He said Monday night that the shooting occurred in a classroom during study hall with students of different grades.
Barnes said the suspected shooter’s family was cooperating with authorities, who are investigating why the teen opened fire and how she obtained a weapon.
“Today truly is a sad day for Madison and for our country,” Barnes said. “It is a day that I believe will live in our collective minds for a very, very long time.”
Authorities revealed harrowing details about how police were alerted to a deadly shooting that unfolded hours earlier at the private Wisconsin school.
Barnes told reporters Monday night that a second grader alerted police to the shooter. Minutes after the student’s phone call, first responders were in the building.
“A second-grade student called 911 to report a shooting had occurred at school. I’m going to let that soak in for a minute,” Barnes said. He added that 911 dispatchers are trained to talk to children through difficult circumstances, including parents choking, CPR, and even giving birth.
“So they are trained to do that. But to me, it makes my heart skip a beat to think about that,” Barnes said.
There have been 322 school shootings this year in the U.S., according to the K-12 School Shooting Database website. That is the second-highest total of any year since 1966, according to that database — topped only by last year’s total of 349 such shootings.
“We need to do better in our country and our community to prevent gun violence,” Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said.
Monday’s shooting took place 12 years after one of the most notorious school shootings in U.S. history — the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. A 20-year-old man armed with a semiautomatic rifle killed 20 school children plus six adults who worked at the school.
The Green Bay Area Public School District announced Monday on social media that police were investigating potential shooting threats at two of its four high schools. As of noon, three persons of interest had been identified, and it was determined there was no ongoing threat. Police were still investigating.
A surge in calls to a Wisconsin school shootings tip line followed Monday’s deadly incident at a Madison school.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice’s school safety tip line received numerous calls Monday and state law enforcement is keeping an eye out for copycat crimes in the coming weeks, said Trish Kilpin, director of the state Department of Justice’s Office of School Safety at a media briefing Monday night.
Kilpin encouraged students, families, and community members to report any concerns about potential school attacks to the tip line, law enforcement, or school officials. “Targeted violence is preventable,” she said.
The tip line “Speak Up, Speak Out” was created in 2020 and has fielded over 350 tips regarding attacks on schools, Kilpin said. To report a threat to the tip line, call 1-800-MY-SUSO-1 or text SUSO to 738477.
— Laura Schulte, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
President Joe Biden said in a statement Monday the shooting was “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,” Biden said. “We cannot continue to accept it as normal.”
He called on Congress to pass universal background checks, a national red-flag law, and a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
In 2022, Biden signed into law the first major federal gun reform in three decades, about a month after an 18-year-old man opened fire at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, killing 19 students and two teachers.
Polling shows American voters favor stronger background checks on gun buyers, temporary limits on people in crisis, and more safety requirements for gun storage at homes with children. Lawmakers have largely declined to act, citing the U.S. constitutional protection for gun owners.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County, Wisconsin, will hold a vigil at the Wisconsin State Capitol on Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT, executive administrator Kristine Leuzinger told USA TODAY.
The group is gathering more details and planning how to support the community, Leuzinger said.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County CEO Michael Johnson said on Facebook that young people will have opportunities to come together and process their feelings surrounding the shooting.
Barbara Wiers, director of elementary and school relations at Abundant Life Christian School, said at an evening news briefing that she was teaching when gunfire broke out.
“The students handled themselves magnificently,” Wiers said, noting they were visibly frightened after realizing the lockdown was not a drill.
Wiers said security cameras in the building are monitored, doors remain locked and every student is “visually scanned” by staff as they enter the building. The school does not have a school resource officer or metal detectors, she added.
The school is still deciding whether classes will be held this week, Wiers said, noting it was supposed to be the last week of class before the holiday break. She added the goal is to get staff together soon and have some opportunities for students to reconnect before the holidays.
Bethany Highman said she was able to connect with her daughter who attends the school via video and was relieved to learn she was OK. She was uncertain of next steps but said she intended to support her daughter through community and prayer.
“Your world stops for a minute. Nothing else matters,” she said. “We’re just waiting, praying.”
Shannon Moungey lives about 15 minutes away in Stoughton, Wisconsin, and was relieved to learn her friends’ kids were safe after hearing about the shooting at their school.
She said it was a “very sad situation this close to Christmas” and expects it will be a long road to recovery for the community. “Kiss your loved ones tonight extra, extra,” Moungey said.
She said she was surprised the shooting happened in her area.
“It’s a little close to home,” Moungey said. “You see more and more of this every day and it’s very unfortunate. You see this on TV, and you never think it’s going to happen in your area, and unfortunately it did for us today.”
In a statement, state superintendent Jill Underly said the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School was the second school shooting in Wisconsin in seven months.
In May, police responded to a middle school in Mount Horeb, where a 911 caller said someone approaching the school appeared to have a long gun. Police told the person to drop their weapon, but the individual pointed it at officers.
Police then shot the suspect, who died at the scene. There were no other injuries, and it was later determined the suspect’s weapon was a pellet rifle.
“Our hearts are heavy with great sorrow as we mourn the senseless loss of life in yet another school shooting,” Underly said Monday about the Madison shooting.
The school posted a brief notice on its Facebook page: “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.”
Nearby La Follette High School and Sennett Middle School were on secure hold because of the shooting, Madison Metropolitan School District officials said. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said he was closely monitoring the events at the school.
“We are praying for the kids, educators, and entire Abundant Life school community as we await more information,” Evers said, adding that he was “grateful for the first responders who are working quickly to respond.”
Sen. Ron Johnson reacted to the shooting on X: “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.”
Abundant Life Christian School was founded in 1978, according to the school’s website, and the main building is located next door to City Church Madison, a Christian non-denominational church.
The school “was specifically organized to offer students academic excellence in a Christ-focused context,” its website says.
About 200 families representing more than 50 local congregations enroll their children at the school, which offers classes from Kindergarten through 12th grade.
The school shares a 28-acre campus with Campus for Kids Learning Center, a program for infants through 4-year-old kindergarten, and the nondenominational City Church.
Contributing: Claire Reid, Madeline Heim, Natalie Eilbert, Alec Johnson, Alison Dirr and Ricardo Torres, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; Nadia Scharf, Green Bay Press-Gazette; Reuters
(This story was updated to add new information.)
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