The shooter who killed at least two people Monday at a Christian school in Madison, Wisconsin, has been identified as Natalie Rupnow, a 15-year-old student who later died from a gunshot wound that appeared to be self-inflicted, police said. .
The shooter, who gave her name as “Samantha,” opened fire in a study classroom with students from various grades at Abundant Life Christian School, said Madison Police Chief Shon F. Barnes.
Officers arrived after a second grader placed a call to 911 to report the shooting.
A teacher and a teenage student were killed, and five students and another teacher were injured, authorities said. The shooter was found with a gunshot wound inside the school when police arrived and was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.
Barnes said it appeared there was only one female shooter, and investigators were looking for a possible motive. They had searched the suspect’s home in a north part of Madison and spoken to her family members, who were cooperating.
The police chief did not describe a motive and said investigators were still trying to uncover more information.
“We’re going to take our time and make sure we do our due diligence,” Barnes said.
Young women are much less likely to be suspects in school shootings. This year, according to the K-12 School Shooting Database, nine shooting suspects were female, compared to 249 who were male when gender was identified.
Abundant Life often served as a kind of refuge for children who were bullied or who suffered at other schools, because staff were quick to put an end to the cruelty, said Rebekah Smith, 50, whose teenage daughter was in a physics class down the hall. next to where the shooting occurred.
Smith said members of the school community believed the shooter was new to the private school this year and was among those who came looking for a life change. The school’s student population has grown dramatically since the pandemic, she said.
“You feel compassion for the parent who says, ‘Maybe this will help my son,’” Smith said. “I can’t even imagine what they’re feeling.”
Barnes said a pistol was recovered at the scene, but police did not yet know the weapon’s origins. Madison police were working with federal investigators to identify where and when the gun was purchased.
“How does a 15-year-old girl get a gun?” Barnes asked.
Two students with life-threatening injuries are in critical condition at a hospital, Barnes said. Four people — three students and a teacher — were hospitalized with less serious injuries, and two of them have since been released, he said.
