JEFFERY PHELPS/EPA
Adults and students outside a church on the grounds of Abundant Life Christian School following the shooting earlier in the day in Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
Two other people are at risk of death. Suspect died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds, but it is not yet known whether he committed suicide.
A shooting happened on Monday “inside a classroom, in a study room with students of various grades” at a Christian school in Madison, Wisconsin.
Authorities identified the student Natalie Rupnowaged 15, as the perpetrator of the attack that left at least three people dead, including the attacker, police said. So far, no motive is known for the acts of violence.
The suspect, known as “Samantha”, was pronounced dead on the way to the hospital, police chief Shon Barnes said this Monday at a press conference. Died due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Earlier in the day, police said they arrived at Abundant Life school just before 11am (5pm on Monday in Lisbon), where they found “several victims with gunshot wounds”.
In addition to the three dead — a teenage student, a teacher and the attacker — at least six people were injuredsome seriously, having been taken to hospitals, according to authorities. The police chief said that two students are in critical condition and are feared they will not be able to survive. Four others have minor injuries.
The call to emergency services was reportedly made by a child at school, according to , which adds that “at this time”, the police are not trying to blame the suspect’s parents — who are cooperating — for the tragedy.
The school Abundant Lifea private institution with around 400 students at all levels of education, from pre-school to high school, asked for prayers from its followers on the social network Facebook.
“All of our students were reunited with their parents and we are grateful for all of their support,” the school posted on Facebook: “We were flooded with thoughts and prayers. This great nation is supporting us. We are so grateful for the tsunami of prayers for our students, staff and families.”
Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway called for “the country and society to do better to prevent gun violence” and created a mental health hotline for the public.
Os school shootings have been a macabre routine in the United States, with 322 this yearaccording to the K-12 School Shooting Database. This is the second highest number of any year since 1966, only surpassed by last year, which saw 349 shootings.
But What happened this Monday is a rarity: Only about 3% of all mass shootings in the US are perpetrated by women, according to studies cited by .
