Wisconsin governor orders flags to half-staff
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers thanked law enforcement and first responders in a new statement for their response to today’s shooting. He also ordered the flags of Wisconsin and the U.S. lowered to half-staff until Sunday.
“As a father, a grandfather, and as governor, it is unthinkable that a kid or an educator might wake up and go to school one morning and never come home. This should never happen, and I will never accept this as a foregone reality or stop working to change it,” he said.
Evers also said “there are no words to describe the devastation and heartbreak” he feels.
Police have contacted suspected shooter’s family
Law enforcement officials have been in touch with the suspected shooter’s parents, police said.
Authorities have not identified or provided any details about the suspected shooter except that they were a teenage student at the school. Police found the believed shooter dead at the scene and did not fire their own guns.
“As difficult as today is, that’s still someone’s child that’s gone that’s still someone that has to deal with what happened today,” Barnes said. “And so we want to make sure that we can ensure as much cooperation as we can.”
Barnes declined to comment on whether the death was a suicide, noting that a medical examiner will determine the cause of death. A motive has not been determined.
Officers were in special training for emergencies when the shooting call came in
When the 911 call came in about a shooting this morning, a group of officers were in training for that type of scenario just 3 miles away.
The Madison Police Department’s “special event team medics” work with the fire department to prepare for emergencies, Barnes said. Officers left the training center and raced to Abundant Life Christian School, where they found multiple people with gunshot wounds.
“So what began as a training day became an actual thing, and so that’s how this call originally came in,” Barnes said.
A handgun was recovered at the school
Officers found a handgun at Abundant Life Christian School, Barnes said.
Barnes did not elaborate on the weapon. He said the shooting was confined to one space. It’s unclear whether it was a classroom or a hallway. He said the crime scene is on “lockdown.”
Students are not being rushed into interviews, Barnes said, which is also why some questions remain unanswered.
“We’re going to give them an opportunity to come in and speak to what they may have saw when they feel ready,” he said.
1 student and 1 teacher killed, police chief says
A teenage student and a teacher were killed at Abundant Life Christian School today, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes told reporters.
At least two other students are in critical condition, and four others are recovering from non-life-threatening injuries.
Barnes said the suspected shooter is a teenager but declined to provide additional information.
School shooting survivors bused to reunification center
Survivors took buses to a reunification center. Officials believe a student was responsible for the shooting.
‘I feel sad and helpless’: Abundant Life alum says four loved ones made it out safely
An alumna of Abundant Life Christian School said she heard about the shooting at her alma mater from friends and on social media.
Courtney Rae, who graduated from Abundant Life in 2013, has four members of her family enrolled there. She immediately texted her parents in Wisconsin to ensure that her three brothers — ages 5, 7 and 16 — and her cousin were safe. A relative told her they are waiting to be reunited with family and were not harmed, Rae said.
Beyond that, she has heard few details about what happened other than what she can glean from news reports, she added.
“I feel sad and helpless,” said Rae, who lives in Florida. “People send their kids to Christian school hoping it’s safer than public school and that things like this would never happen at a Christian school.”
FBI on the scene and assisting local law enforcement
The FBI office in Milwaukee is on the scene assisting local law enforcement. The office said it would provide updates as more information becomes available.
Wisconsin lawmaker: ‘Thoughts and prayers without action means more school shootings’
Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., he is monitoring the situation in his district.
“My office is aware of reports of a shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison,” he wrote. “We are in touch with local law enforcement, and will continue to monitor the situation and offer any assistance we can provide to our first responders.”
In recent days, Pocan has called on Congress to pass gun laws on the anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. He wrote, “It is long past time for Congress to stand up to the NRA and pass commonsense gun safety laws that will save lives.”
After his initial post today, he emphasized, writing “let’s hope for the best and be ready for the lack of action on guns by this Congress.”
Pocan was even more blunt in : “Thoughts and prayers without action means more school shootings, more dead kids. More ACTION is needed by our elected officials.”
“And more BACKBONE to stand up to gun manufacturers,” he wrote. “This is uniquely a United States problem that doesn’t have to happen.”
Abundant Life Christian School requests prayers after ‘active shooter incident’
In a statement , Abundant Life Christian School requested prayers for its community and said it would share updates as it has them.
“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,” the school wrote.
Biden has been briefed on the shooting, White House official says
President Joe Biden has been briefed on the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School, Emilie Simons, the White House senior deputy press secretary said in a
“The President has been briefed on the school shooting in Madison, Wisconsin. Senior White House officials are in touch with local counterparts in Madison to provide support as needed,” her post read.
3 dead, 6 injured in school shooting as police correct death toll
The Madison Police Department confirmed that three people have been killed, including the suspected shooter, and six people injured.
Police Chief Shon Barnes was speaking to reporters earlier today when it appeared the death toll had risen to five in the middle of the press conference, but police now say that was incorrect.
‘I just bolted out’: Mother describes rushing to scene of Wisconsin school shooting
Bethany Highman learned that a shooting had taken place at Abundant Life Christian School, where her children attend classes in Madison, Wisconsin, through a call from her mother.
Suspected shooter was a student and was found dead, police said
The shooter was a student at the school and is now among the dead, police believe.
Madison police officers are still investigating and collecting evidence, but a juvenile found dead at the school is believed to be the shooter at Abundant Life Christian School this morning.
No officers fired weapons in their response to the shooting, Police Chief Barnes told reporters.
7 people transported for treatment, police said
At least seven people were transported to area hospitals for treatment after officers administered “lifesaving efforts” to anyone they found wounded, Barnes said.
Barnes did not provide information on how many were students or staff. The police incident website said that the injuries “range from minor to life-threatening.
5 people dead in shooting, including juvenile believed to be shooter, Madison police chief said
At least five people have died in the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes told reporters.
Officers found multiple gunshot wound victims after responding to an active shooter call at the school at 10:57 a.m., including an unidentified juvenile who Barnes said could be the shooter.
“Today is a sad, sad, day,” Barnes said. “Not just for Madison, but for our entire country.”
Officers are still working to clear the school.
Sen. Ron Johnson monitoring the situation at Abundant Life Christian School
Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson responded to reports of the shooting, in which multiple injuries have been reported, in post on X.
“My sincere condolences and prayers for all the victims of the tragedy at Abundant Life Christian School,” Johnson wrote. “I will continue to closely monitor the situation.”
Abundant Life Christian is a K-12 private school
The Abundant Life Christian School is a private Christian school founded in 1978, teaching children from kindergarten through 12th grade, according to its website.
Its campus spans 28 acres that serves as one of three Impact Christian Schools campuses. The school’s website also says that it has approximately 335 students.
Abundant Life Christian School boasts of small class sizes with a “warm and respectful atmosphere.”
Police sent a safety alert at 11:20 a.m., local station reports
A public safety alert went out at 11:20 a.m. to phones in the area, NBC affiliate .
“Per Madison PD- Police activity on 4900 block of East Buckeye Road in Madison. Avoid the area,” the alert said, according to a screenshot.
A local resident told the news station that she heard gunshots.
Multiple injuries reported in shooting
Police are investigating a possible shooting with multiple injuries reported at Abundant Life Christian School.
The Madison Police Department have lined the street leading to the school and have blocked off Buckeye Road, asking the community to avoid the area.
Parents have gathered at a reunification site at a nearby health clinic, according to .
