“Everyone was targeted” in Wisconsin school shooting, police say
Police are giving an update Tuesday on the school shooting at a private Christian school in Madison, Wisconsin, that left a teenage student and a teacher dead.
Five students and one teacher were also wounded in the shooting Monday at Abundant Life Christian School, police said. The injuries ranged from minor to life-threatening. Four people remain hospitalized, and their conditions remain unchanged, Madison Chief of Police Shon F. Barnes said during the press conference.
“Everyone was targeted in this incident,” Barnes said. “Everyone was put in equal danger.”
The student and the teacher who were killed have not been identified publicly, and will not be until their families are notified, police said. The shooter, who police identified as 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow, was found dead.
Rupnow, who went by Samantha, was a student at the school, Barnes said Monday. She appears to have died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Barnes said, and was pronounced dead while being taken to an area hospital. Police did not fire their weapons, police said. Police are investigating how Rupnow obtained a gun, Barnes said, and Rupnow’s family is cooperating with the investigation.
Barnes said that Rupnow’s motive appears to be a “combination of factors,” but said he would not be sharing more details at this time to avoid jeopardizing the investigation. He asked that anyone with information about Rupnow’s state of mind or feelings contact the Madison CrimeStoppers.
Barnes said that investigators are looking at Rupnow’s social media presence, but did not share any specific information about the teen’s behavior online. Investigators are also trying to determine if Rupnow was bullied and if that influenced her actions, Barnes said.
Barnes also addressed the circulation of a document allegedly connected to the shooting that has been circulating online. Barnes said that the document’s authenticity cannot be verified, and said that detectives are working on the origin of that document and how it came to be shared online. He asked that the document not be further spread or shared, and said police would provide an update when possible.
Barnes also clarified an earlier statement about the shooting being reported to 911 by a second-grade student. He said the shooting was actually reported by a second-grade teacher.
Barnes and other local officials said that multiple swatting threats were called in against local schools, resulting in lockdowns. None of those threats resulted in violence.
A vigil honoring the victims of the shooting will be held at Madison’s capitol building at 6 p.m. local time on Tuesday, mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said.
