Wisconsin police suggest new motive behind Natalie Rupnow shooting as her parents are investigated - live updates

The identity of Abundant Life Christian School shooter Natalie 'Samantha' Rupnow has been unveiled and some details about her social media history are public but little is known about the victims as of Tuesday night.

Rupnow opened fire on kids and staff at Abundant Life Christian School on Monday - raining bullets in the study hall and killing two before turning the gun on herself.

Accounts being linked to Rupnow online show an obsession with possible white supremacist ideologies and infamous past school shooters, as well as a chilling message from the 'Unabomber' Ted Kaczynski.

Screenshots posted of her alleged manifesto have shown Rupnow to be a lonely child who said she was 'trapped and forced into my corner.'

Rupnow expressed unhappiness at what she described as a broken home and made multiple references to a therapist.

Police maintain they will not release names of the victims until all families have been informed.

Officials said they are looking to a 'combination of factors' to explain why teen killer Natalie Rupnow opened fire on her school on Monday.

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said that although he could not comment on a specific trigger, it is believed that bullying may have been a factor.

Wisconsin Christian school shooter Natalie Samantha Rupnow has been pictured after she killed a fellow student and a teacher in Madison.

The 15-year-old, who killed herself after unleashing the massacre at a study hall at Abundant Life Christian School, also injured six others including two students who were in critical condition.

A substitute teacher and three students had been taken to a hospital with less serious injuries, and two of them had been released by Monday evening.

Rupnow's father Jeff Rupnow shared several images of his daughter throughout the years - all the way back to her birth in 2009.

The father is cooperating with police as they try to find a motive for the tragedy.

Wisconsin school shooter Natalie 'Samantha' Rupnow's parents had been married and divorced multiple times each.

It was previously revealed that the 15-year-old - who murdered a teacher and a student at Abundant Life Christian School before taking her own life - was a child of divorce.

However, records obtained by Newsweek and the Washington Post show that Jeffrey and Melissa Rupnow made attempts to reconcile after their divorce, got married again and divorced again.

The pair were initially divorced in 2014 but remarried in 2017. They ultimately divorced once again in 2021.

Sharing custody of their daughter was also complicated, as after their first divorce they had shared custody but the child primarily lived with the mother.

After their second divorce, they agreed again to shared placement of their daughter.

However, the pair filed a mediated agreement granting the father primary placement but agreed to work toward equal placement.

Police in Wisconsin on Tuesday were interviewing friends and family and examining the online presence of a 15-year-old girl to determine what drove her to open fire in a classroom at her private Christian school, killing a fellow student and a teacher before taking her own life.

The shooter, identified by police as Natalie Rupnow, who also went by Samantha, was a student at the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital.

In one key way, the Madison attack is an outlier among U.S. school and mass shootings: Women and girls are far less likely to carry them out than male attackers. Only about 3% of all U.S. mass shootings are perpetrated by females, studies show.

A parent of two students at Abundant Life Christian School talked about the horrible wait to be reunited with her children and what they knew of the shooter.

Lyndsay O'Connor - who graduated from the school herself - said she only originally heard of the shooting, which killed two people, from a friend while she was driving.

'You need to call your kids and make sure they’re safe. There’s an active shooter,' she told Wisconsin Right Now.

She claimed to have at one point stood up in the 'packed' basement area and offered up a prayer: 'That’s the difference between private and public school.'

Eventually, a phone call from an unknown number turned out to be her son, who was at the church sanctuary the survivors were taken to.

'They were in the church sanctuary and were safe and he had eyes on his sister. At that point, I could stop crying.'

James and Rebekah Smith, parents of a 17-year-old student at Abundant Life Christian School, are revealing details about one of the victims, whom they say are all family friends, as well as the shooter.

They told Fox News that Natalie 'Samantha' Rupnow had only enrolled at the school during the current semester.

The Smiths did not know Rupnow nor her family. Their daughter claimed she never spoke to anyone.

They were, however, friendly with the student killed, a high school freshman.

'She gave great hugs. She was an amazing pianist. She loved to read. She was just an amazing young girl,' Rebekah Smith said.

They added that the teacher killed had long been a fixture at the school as a substitute teacher and only recently been given a full-time job.

The teacher often would speak with Rebekah at their daughter's basketball games.

Investigators are examining the digital footprint of Madison, Wisconsin school shooter Natalie 'Samantha' Rupnow as well as looking into verifying a possible manifesto that the 15-year-old may have left behind.

Rupnow opened fire on kids and staff at Abundant Life Christian School on Monday - raining bullets in the study hall before turning the gun on herself.

As police look into verifying Rupnow's accounts, reports of her obsession with possible white supremacist ideologies and infamous past school shooters were witnessed on online accounts connected to her.

Screenshots posted of the alleged manifesto have shown Rupnow to be a lonely child who said she was 'trapped and forced into my corner.'

The screed expressed unhappiness at what she described as a broken home and made multiple references to a therapist.

Rupnow allegedly describes herself as a 'loner' but admits she will 'mourn for friends but sooner than later they'll leave.'

The pages posted do not point to a specific political ideology but they claim 'we need revolution.'

It ends with a quote attributed to the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski: 'Finally, one learns that boredom is a disease of civilization.'

Laura Lundgren, a teacher at Abundant Life Christian School, says that the two students critically injured in Monday's shooting are 'surrounded by really beautiful communities that are taking care of them.'

Lundgren added that the global outreach to their little community - the school has just 420 students - has been heartwarming.

'I’ve heard from people across the world who are praying for these kids and know these families. We’re just all together. We’re all a very closely knit group of teachers and parents. We’re all here because we want to take care of each other,' she told CNN.

Her reaction to the shooting, which killed a student and a fellow teacher, was one of utter shock

'It’s been really troubling for all of us. We were all shocked as I think anyone would be. We’re trying to love our kids well. Most of the people who work there also have kids in the building and we’re all really connected. We know each other well,' she said.

She added that she knew every kid that was in the study hall where 15-year-old Natalie 'Samantha' Rupnow opened fire.

'We’re piecing together what we can and trying to hold each other well,' she said.

In the wake of Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway raging at an inquisitive media during a press conference, police still have not identified the victims.

Chief Shon Barnes has said consistently that they would wait to identify victims until after families were informed.

There has been no status updates on the six injured. Two have since been released from hospital and two are still in critical condition.

The mayor of Madison, Wisconsin expressed her rage at an inquisitive media during a press conference in the wake of the Abundant Life Christian School Shooting.

Democrat Satya Rhodes-Conway plainly, bluntly stated: 'It is absolutely none of y'all's business who was harmed!'

She futher begged, saying: 'Please have some human decency and respect for the people who have lost loved ones or were injured themselves or whose children were injured.'

'I'm going to say this and then we're done,' Rhodes-Conway added. 'It is absolutely none of y'all's business who was harmed in this incident.'

The Wisconsin high school where Natalie Rupnow killed at least two people and wounded six others boasts of its devotion to Christian values - including not believing in evolution.

The $10,000-a-year Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, was sent into lockdown Monday after Rupnow opened fire before she turned the gun on herself, leaving a horrific scene at the campus.

Dane County Executive Melissa Agard called on lawmakers to pass gun control reforms in the wake of Monday's tragic school shooting.

'Our laws in Wisconsin are far too lax when it comes to access of guns by children,' Agard said at a Tuesday press conference.

'We should have background checks. We should have red flag bills, we should be providing adequate support for everyone in our community when it comes to behavioral health – people should not be waiting when they raise their hand and ask for help.'

The Mayor of Madison Satya Rhodes-Conway lost her temper at a press conference when asked if she could identify the victims of Monday's mass shooting.

Rhodes-Conway told reporters and police officers gathered for a Tuesday press conference it was 'none of your business' who the victims were.

'Let the families grieve,' she fumed. 'Stop feeding off their pain.'

Detectives offered a tepid update to the investigation on Tuesday afternoon, and admitted there was much they couldn't comment on as they keep looking into the tragedy.

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said at a press conference that a suspected manifesto that went viral after the school shooting could not be verified.

Barnes said investigators were still searching for the source of the manifesto, and were not certain it came from perpetrator Natalie Rupnow.

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said at a press conference on Tuesday he made a mistake the day prior when he said a second-grader made the 911 call.

Barnes clarified that it was a second-grade teacher that made the call alerting them to the mass shooting, adding: 'I take responsibility for that.'

Officials said on Tuesday that the teacher who was killed along with a student on Monday's mass shooting was a full time staff member.

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes clarified the teacher's status at a press conference after it was previously reported that they were a substitute teacher.

He added that a substitute teacher was also hurt in the attack, one of six other victims who were wounded.

The victims from the tragedy have not yet been identified, and Barnes said it is unclear if suspect Natalie Rupnow targeted anyone specifically.

Officials said on Tuesday that six people were injured in the shooting at the Christian Madison school on Monday.

One was a substitute teacher and the rest were students, though police have not revealed their ages.

Barbara Wiers, director of elementary and school relations for Abundant Life Christian School, said students 'handled themselves magnificently.'

She said when the school practices safety routines, leaders always announce that it is a drill.

That didn’t happen on Monday.

'When they heard "lockdown, lockdown," they knew it was real,' she said.

Wiers said just before the school year, they had done a retraining with the Madison Police Department, so it was 'very fresh for faculty.'

The Wisconsin high school where Natalie Rupnow killed at least two people and wounded six others boasts of its devotion to Christian values - including not believing in evolution.

The $10,000-a-year Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, was sent into lockdown Monday after Rupnow opened fire before she turned the gun on herself, leaving a horrific scene at the campus.

The deadliest school shooting in 2024 happened in September at Apalachee High School in Georgia.

Authorities said 14-year-old student Colt Grat opened fire with a semiautomatic assault-style rifle.

Four people were killed and nine more were hurt, seven of them shot.

A grand jury subsequently indicted Gray and his father Colin Gray — who was accused of giving his son access to the gun — on murder and other charges. Both have pleaded not guilty.

'It’s another school shooting, another community being torn apart and hurt by gun violence,' the VP said in Maryland on Tuesday.

'And of course, our nation mourns for those who were killed, and we pray for the recovery of those who are injured and for the entire community.

'But look as we hold our loved ones close this holiday season, we as a nation must renew our commitment to end the horror of gun violence.'

Less than two weeks ago, a gunman critically wounded two kindergartners at a small religious school in Northern California and then killed himself.

Butte County Sheriff Kory L. Honea said Glenn Litton was mentally ill and believed that by targeting children on December 4 that he was carrying out 'counter-measures' in response to America’s involvement in Middle East violence.

Litton, 56, got into thin Oroville, California, by pretending he wanted to enroll a fictitious grandson, Honea said. He used a handgun to shoot and critically wound the boys, ages 5 and 6. Authorities said Litton was found dead afterward near the school’s playground.

The shooter’s parents, who are divorced, jointly shared custody of their child, but the shooter primarily lived with her 42-year-old father, according to court documents.

Investigators on Tuesday are focused on trying to determine a motive in for the school shooting that left a teacher and a student dead and two other children in critical condition.

Shon Barnes, the police chief in Madison said investigators were aware of a 'manifesto, if you want to call it that, or some type of letter' posted by someone who might have known the shooter, 15-year-old student Natalie Rupnow.

'We haven’t been able to locate that person yet, but that’s something we’re going to work on today,' Barnes told CNN.

'We’ll also be looking through (Rupnow’s) effects, if she had a computer or cell phone, to see if there are any transmissions between her and someone else, and that will give us an idea of what type planning.'

It is unclear if Natalia is an only child, however her father Jeff referred to his daughter as 'kiddo' in a post showing her with a gun and spoke proudly of the child's prowess with the weapon.

In Jeff Rupnow's Facebook post about his daughter at the range, he was asked by a friend if it was his daughter in the image. He replied: 'Joined NBSC (North Bristol Shooting Club) this spring and we have been loving every second of it.

The NBSC - or North Bristol Sportsman's Club - is a gun club in Sun Prairie, a suburb of Madison, offering annual family memberships for just $90, according to its website.

The club was founded in 1970 and has more than 600 members. The Rupnows' alleged membership has not yet been confirmed by the club. DailyMail.com has approached the NBSC for comment.

Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi issued the below statement on Monday.

New York rep. Daniel Goldman also asked for gun legislation to help prevent school shootings.

School shootings have become a macabre routine across America, but yesterday's attack at a small Christian school was a rarity in that it was carried about by a female.

Natalie Rupnow, 15, armed herself with a pistol and opened fire on the Abundant Life Christian School in Wisconsin on Monday, killing a teacher and another student. Six others were injured in the attack.

Although the rampage was the 323rd school shooting to occur in the US this year, according a nationwide database, only nine female students have carried out a school shooting since 1999.

In Las Vegas, Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers opened a news conference Monday by talking about the shooting.

'Not a lot to say. Just a shame this keeps happening,' Rivers said, unprompted and before any questions could be asked.

'Kids can’t go to school safe, and it just seems like we don’t do anything about it. Not going to get up here on the podium and give a long speech — except for it’s just bad and that we are thinking about them.'

Las Vegas was the site of the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history in 2017, when 58 people were killed and more than 850 were injured among a crowd of 22,000 at a country music festival.

The Bucks are in Las Vegas for Tuesday’s NBA Cup tournament championship game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Authorities will hold a press conference on Tuesday at 2pm EST.

Officials are expected to provide additional details about the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School.

They are still to provide a motive for the shooting or details about the killer obtained the weapon she used.

Several social media users have slammed those who celebrated the killing of UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thomson who are calling for gun control following the massacre at the Madison, Wisconsin, school on Monday.

President Joe Biden has been called out by several social media users including conservative radio host Ari Hoffman for calling for gun control following the Madison school shooting after pardoning his son Hunter's gun charges.

The New York Times heard from Kellen Lewis, the father of four students at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison.

Lewis said that his son's third-grade teacher armed herself with scissors by the door in case anyone attempted to enter.

'They had a strategy, and that strategy probably helped save some lives,' he said.

Although a student and a teacher were tragically killed, with Rupnow also killing herself with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, officials said safety techniques and drills may have prevented a higher death toll.

Wisconsin school shooter Natalie Rupnow's father shared a chilling image of his daughter practicing at a shooting range in a similar T-shirt to one worn by the Columbine school shooters.

Jeff Rupnow posted the snap to his public Facebook page in August. His daughter is filmed pointing a rifle at a clay puck wearing a black top emblazoned with the name of the band KMFDM.

Columbine killer Eric Harris was seen wearing a KMFDM T-shirt ahead of the 1999 Colorado high school massacre where 13 were murdered.

Monday’s was the latest among dozens of school shootings across the U.S. in recent years, including especially deadly ones in Newstown, Connecticut, Parkland, Florida and Uvalde, Texas.

The shootings have set off fervent debates about gun control and frayed the nerves of parents whose children are growing up accustomed to doing active shooter drills in their classrooms.

But school shootings have done little to move the needle on national gun laws. Firearms were the leading cause of death among children in 2020 and 2021, according to KFF, a nonprofit that researches health care issues.

The president of the Dane County Boys and Girls Club, Michael Johnson, said on Facebook that there will be a vigil held at the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison on Tuesday night.

'We are actively planning ways to provide support, including safe spaces for youth to process their feelings, sharing mental health resources, and collaborating with community partners to address community needs,' Johnson wrote.

Bethany Highman, a mother whose kid attends Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, shared how she found out there was a shooter at the private insititution.

'You don't think you're going to go through this,' she shared/

'i bring my daughter to school knowing that thing happens in the world and I pray for my daughter's safety.... it's a very real thing, and I'm very aware that the world is like this.'

Biden called the shooting at the Abundant Life Christian School 'shocking and unconscionable' in a statement Monday.

'We need Congress to act. Now,' he said.

'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. We cannot continue to accept it as normal,' he said.

'Every child deserves to feel safe in their class room. Students across our country should be learning how to read and write – not having to learn how to duck and cover.'

A neighbor of the shooter, who spoke with TMJ4 off camera, said they heard flash bangs and saw police with long guns between 1pm and 1:30pm Monday.

The home is about eight miles from the private school where the shooting happened.

Police have said the shooter's father is cooperating with their probe.

School shootings by teenage females have been extremely rare in U.S. history, with males in their teens and 20s carrying out the vast majority most of them, according to David Riedman, founder of the K-12 School Shooting Database.

In a blog post last year, he pointed to a handful of school shootings that involved perpetrators who identified as female, including a 16-year-old girl who shot and killed two and injured several others at San Diego elementary school in 1979.

Barbara Wiers, director of elementary and school relations for Abundant Life Christian School, said their goal is to get the school’s staff together early in the week and then try to have some community opportunities for the students to reconnect.

'Whether we will return to classes this week — because this was our last week, we were done on Friday — is still to be determined,' she said.

Speculation over whether Rupnow, who went by the name Samantha, is transgender flooded social media since the shooter's identity was publicly confirmed.

But Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes has dismissed questions about the female student's gender identity and urged people to be more responsible with their online posts about the shooting.

'I don't know whether Natalie was transgender or not. And quite frankly, I don't think that's important at all,' he said during a news conference Monday.

'I wish people would leave their own personal biases we have lost members of our community. It’s something that may come out later but for what we’re doing today it is of no consequence at this time.'

He added: 'I don't think whatever happened today has anything to do with how she or he or they may want to identify. For what we're doing right now, today, literally eight hours after a mass shooting in a school in Madison, it is of no consequence at this time [what gender the shooter was].'

Lisa Adams, spokesperson for SSM Health, said two patients were discharged on Monday night and two others remain hospitalized at St. Mary’s Hospital in stable condition.

She said personnel at its medical clinic near the school 'worked collaboratively with law enforcement in reuniting families.'

Two students remained in critical condition at a different hospital, according to Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes.

A pupil in the second grade bravely made the call to report an active shooting as Natalie Rupnow opened fire at her school in east Madison on Monday.

Wisconsin police responded to the call at 11:57am and arrived minutes later to find Rupnow with a weapon and a self-inflicted gunshot wound after combing the Abundant Life Christian School, attacking fellow students and teachers.

Police chief Shon Barnes said that a second-grade student, who would generally be aged seven or eight years old, called 911 to report the shooting.

'Let that soak in for a minute,' Barnes said.

Elon Musk's social media platform is not allowing users to search for the words 'Samantha Rupnow.'

An error message comes up when users try to search for the 15-year-old shooter's name.

However, the platform does allow a search for the shooter's first name, Natalie Rupnow.

It's unclear whether X blocked the search of there is some kind of technical issue.

X has previously blocked searches of names such as Taylor Swift's in order to block content like AI pornography of the singer.

A law enforcement source told CNN that Rupnow 'had been dealing with problems and expressed some of those in writings, which they are now reviewing.'

A manifesto, that cops have not confirmed is linked to the teen, was published on social media.

'We have been made aware of a manifesto, if you want to call it that, or some type of letter that’s been posted by someone who alleged to be her friend,' police chief Shon Barnes told CNN Tuesday morning.

'We haven’t been able to locate that person yet, but that’s something we’re going to work on today.

'We’ll also be looking through her effects – if she had a computer or cell phone – to see if there are any transmissions between her and someone else.'

Police have identified the 15-year-old girl who shot dead a teen student and a teacher at Abundant Life Christian School as Natalie Samantha Rupnow.

Rupnow also wounded six others at a study hall, including two students who were in critical condition, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said.

A teacher and three students had been taken to a hospital with less serious injuries, and two of them had been released by Monday evening.

Police have not said how Rupnow obtained the gun but Barnes said they are looking into whether her parents were negligent and could face charges.

Police lead students after a shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison on Monday.

A motive for the shooting was not immediately known, nor was it clear if the victims were targeted, Madison police chief Shon Barnes said.

'I don’t know why, and I feel like if we did know why, we could stop these things from happening,' he told reporters.

Barnes said police were talking with the shooter’s father and other family members, who were cooperating, and searching the shooter’s home.

'He lost someone as well,' Barnes said of the shooter’s father. 'And so we’re not going to rush the information. We’ll take our time and make sure we do our due diligence.'

The school shooting in Madison, Wisconsin on Monday became the 83rd of the year.

It marked the 56th such-sttack on K-12 school grounds, and the 487th mass shooting of the year nationwide.

Mass shootings are determined in cases where there are four or more victims.

As the US wakes up this morning, two young children remain in a critical condition in hospital with life-threatening injuries after 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow opened fire in a school study hall.

Four others were also injured in the attack, with two of those already discharged from hospital.

Tributes are pouring into those affected by the attack, which led to the death of one pupil, one teacher and the shooter.

Fifteen-year-old Natalie 'Samantha' Rupnow went to her Madison, Wisconsin school as usual on Monday morning and waited three hours before pulling out a handgun and opening fire at students and teachers.

She killed a teacher and a fellow student in the rampage and left six injured. Four were taken to hospital, with two left in critical condition.

Rupnow was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound after police arrived on the scene, and died in the ambulance on the way to hospital.

They arrived three minutes after a second grader reported an active shooter at the Abundant Life Christian School at 11am yesterday, as students braced under their drilled lockdown procedures.

The shooting prompted an outpouring of grief in the community and calls from President Biden to enact gun-control legislation to prevent further massacres.

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School shooter Natalie 'Samantha' Rupnow opened fire on a room full of schoolmates using a 9mm pistol, it was reported overnight.

The horrific scenes at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, saw a teacher and a student killed, as well as the shooter themselves.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a law enforcement official told AP the shooter used a 9mm pistol.

Rupnow was previously taken to shooting ranges by family members, posts on social media show.

Barbara Wiers, the school's director of elementary and school relations, said when they practice safety routines, leaders always announce that it's a drill. That didn't happen Monday, just a week before Christmas break.

'When they heard, "Lockdown, lockdown," they knew it was real,' she said.

Wiers said the school does not have metal detectors but uses other security measures including cameras.

She added the school has yet to take a decision on whether to resume classes this week.

The investigating police chief has not confirmed the gender identity of the 15-year-old who opened fire inside a study hall at a small Christian school in Wisconsin, claiming it is 'not important at all' to the investigation into the massacre.

The shooter, identified as Natalie Rupnow, killed a teacher and another teenager when she opened fire on students and staff at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison on Monday, before turning the handgun on herself.

Speculation over whether Rupnow, who went by the name Samantha, is transgender has flooded social media since the shooter's identity was publicly confirmed.

But Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes has dismissed questions about the female student's gender identity and urged people to be more responsible with their online posts about the shooting.

Read more:

Eight-year-old Nora Gottsckalk was in the hallway at Abundant Life Christian School before 11am, getting ready for lunch, when she saw a teacher she knew injured.

'She was screaming, "Ah my leg, help, help,"' the young girl told CNN affiliate WISC as she grasped a Spongebob ice cream, after being reunited with family.

'I was really scared, and I was really sad,' she added.

Sixth-grader Alder Jean-Charles also told how he was attending English class when at the small Christian school when he heard two gunshots ring out.

He recalled: 'Some people started crying and then we just waited until the police came and they escorted us out. I was scared. Why did they do that?'

Students who survived the shooting were taken to hospital to be reunited with their parents, and when Alder was reunited with his two brothers, they all cried and prayed together, his mother Mireille Jean-Charles said.

When asked whether she was okay, the mom shook her head and broke down into tears.

Mireille Jean-Charles said: 'It's sad, you know, to be home and when somebody calls you and says your kids' school is in lockdown and a shooting, and you don't know where they are.

'Thank God they were safe, but the trauma - it's a lot because I'm sure they lost friends and teachers, which is not okay.

'And I don't think they'll be okay for a long time.'

After yesterday's shooting by teenage gunwoman Kupnow, 15, the motive behind the killings are still unclear.

A motive for the shooting was not immediately known, nor was it clear if the victims were targeted, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said.

A manifesto, that cops have not confirmed is linked to the teen, was published on social media.

Cops also confirmed that shooter Rupnow was not on their radar and had no prior interactions with her before Monday, though they said a probe would confirm that.

Police officers were seen evacuating children from the Madison school where shooter Natalie Rupnow opened fire on Monday, killing two people before turning the gun on herself.

Natalie 'Samantha' Rupnow arrived at Abundant Life Christian School on Monday morning - and just hours later, she opened fire on a study hall, killing two and injuring six others, before turning the gun on herself.

Police identified 15-year-old Rupnow as the shooter at the Madison, Wisconsin-based private school and claimed that the attack had been pre-meditated.

A law enforcement source told CNN that Rupnow 'had been dealing with problems and expressed some of those in writings, which they are now reviewing.' A manifesto, that cops have not confirmed is linked to the teen, was published on social media.

The shooter, who went by the name Samantha, was present from the start of the school day and eventually opened fire on a room full of students from various grades, according to Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes.

Cops confirmed that shooter Rupnow was not on their radar and had no prior interactions with her before today, though they said a probe would confirm that.

The teenage school shooter's neighborhood was swarmed by cops following the massacre in Madison, Wisconsin, on Monday afternoon.

Local residents recalled that at least 10 police cars and a SWAT truck arrived at the 15-year-old's home, which is eight miles from the Abundant Life Christian School.

Stun grenades were thrown into the property, causing 'flash bangs' to ring out across the street. One neighboring resident told NBC that he and his wife went into the basement during the raid.

The home's main door had been removed, and the windows damaged, according to CNN affiliate WTMJ.

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said the suspect’s home had been searched on Monday - and police are seeking additional search warrants.

Somber worshipers at Blackhawk Church in Middleton, Wisconsin, were seen embracing one another and praying for the victims of Monday's school shooting.

Police said they were unaware of any previous interactions with the 15-year-old suspect.

Locals have gathered at Blackhawk Church to mourn the victims of Abundant Life Christian School on December 16, 2024 in Middleton, Wisconsin.

Many mourners were seen deep in prayer, with their hands together, during the somber vigil.

The first 911 call was made at 10:57am on Monday morning, informing law enforcement that there was a shooting at the religious school in Madison, Wisconsin.

Police arrived on scene at 11am on the dot - and by 11:05am, they had found the shooter injured, and recovered the weapon.

Two people who were shot in Monday's school shooting are still in hospital fighting for their lives.

Ther conditions were described as critical.

They are both students, police confirmed.

It is not yet confirmed if Rupnow's family - who are cooperating with the investigation - were gun owners. They are currently looking into anything she may have left behind.

Barnes said they're currently speaking with the shooter's father at one of their facilities and that he's cooperating.

Natalie 'Samantha' Rupnow, the Madison, Wisconsin school shooter, died on the way to hospital, police said.

She turned the deadly weapon on herself after gunning down multiple students inside the school on Monday morning.

Two people - one student, one teacher - have died, and two others are in critical condition.

Police said they are aware of a manifesto allegedly written by the 15-year-old shooter circulating on social media.

However, cops said they haven't been able to verify that it's authentic.

Chief Barnes told the press conference on Monday night: 'A document about this shooting is circulating at this time on social media, but we have not verified its authenticity.'

The police chief said that Rupnow's father is currently talking to cops.

His home in Madison, Wisconsin, was swarmed with police cars this evening.

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said police are 'trying to determine what he may know or may have not known about what happened today, but again, he lost someone as well.'

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said that he 'doesn't know' if Natalie Rupnow was transgender - and said that he doesn't think it 'matters,' after rumors swirled online following the tragic shooting.

'It is of no consequence at this time,' he told a press conference on Monday night.

Police identified the Madison, Wisconsin school shooter who killed a teacher and a student before turning the gun on herself as 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow, who went by the name Samantha.

A student at the Abundant Life Christian School, Rupnow opened fire in a study hall on Monday killing two victims and injuring several others, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes confirmed Monday night.

The suspected shooter was a teen who attended the school and was found wounded by police from a self-inflicted gunshot. She died on her way to a local hospital. Barnes said that a second-grade student was the one who called 911 to the school.

A large police presence was seen at what's believed to be the home of the Abundant Life Christian School shooter's home.

Both WMTV and WISN noted SWAT teams and other investigators outside a house on Delaware Boulevard in Madison.

The shooter's name, age and gender remain unknown beyond reports by CNN that she was a 15-year-old girl. Police do not yet have a motive but Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said the shooter opened fire that it was 'in a learning part of the school.'

Barnes said the shooter's family is cooperating with police.

A student at the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, opened fired on Monday killing two victims and injuring several others.

The bloodbath resulted in three casualties - one student, one teacher and the shooter - and six others transported to area hospitals which include children just days before Christmas break.

The suspected shooter was a teen who attended the school and was found dead by police from a self-inflicted gunshot.

The student who killed a teacher and a student before turning the gun on themself at Abundant Life Christian School had planned the attack in advance, CNN reports.

Their source added that the shooter 'had been dealing with problems and expressed some of those in writings, which they are now reviewing.'

The suspected shooter at Abundant Life Christian School does not appear to have broken into the campus to carry out the attack.

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said: 'We believe that the shooter was at school. We have no information that there was some type of breach to the school.'

The shooter's name, age and gender remain unknown beyond reports that she was a 15-year-old girl. Police do not yet have a motive but Barnes said the shooter opened fire that it was 'in a learning part of the school.'

The shooter's family is confirmed to be cooperating with the investigation by Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes.

School staff and police are praising the surviving students of the shooting at the Abundant Life Christian School for their behavior in response to the unspeakable tragedy.

Police have confirmed that a student killed a teacher and another student and injured a teacher and five other students before turning the gun on themselves.

Barbara Wiers, director of elementary and school relations for Abundant Life Christian School, said students 'handled themselves magnificently.'

She said when the school practices safety routines, leaders always announce that it is a drill. That didn’t happen on Monday.

'When they heard ‘lockdown, lockdown,’ they knew it was real,' she said.

Wiers said just before the school year, they had done a retraining with the Madison Police Department, so it was 'very fresh for faculty.'

Wiers said their goal is to get the school’s staff together early in the week and then try to have some community opportunities for the students to reconnect.

'Whether we will return to classes this week — because this was our last week, we were done on Friday — is still to be determined,' she said.

The suspected shooter at Abundant Life Christian School does not appear to have broken into the campus to carry out the attack.

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said: 'We believe that the shooter was at school. We have no information that there was some type of breach to the school.'

The shooter's name, age and gender remain unknown beyond reports that she was a 15-year-old girl. Police do not yet have a motive but Barnes said the shooter opened fire that it was 'in a learning part of the school.'

'I did not, again, go into the school so I don’t know the exact nomenclature of where it happened but it happened in a learning part of the school,' Barnes added.

The suspect, who attended the school, was found deceased by police with a self-inflicted gunshot.

An unidentified teenage student and teacher were killed.

Six others were injured, two life-threatening, according to the Madison Police Department. At least two students remain critically injured in hospital.

A handgun was also discovered by officers at the school.

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said the shooter's family is cooperating with police.

The surviving students of the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, were reunited with their families, Police Chief Shon Barnes confirmed.

Students were escorted from a church next to the Abundant Life Christian School and loaded on busses to be taken to a reunification center on Monday in Madison, Wisconsin.

He said that a local health center shut down for the day to offer a space for students to be brought to their families.

Staff and teachers 'selflessly stayed back to make sure our kids were okay' and are still in the reunification process, Barnes added.

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said Monday that six people were wounded in the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in the Wisconsin capitol.

He said that two of the injured have been hospitalized and are in critical condition with 'life-threatening' injuries.

'Of the injured and taken to local hospitals, two students remain in critical condition. Their injuries are life threatening,' Barnes said.

'A teacher and three other students were taken to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries,” he added. 'Two of those victims, two of those survivors, have been released from the hospital.'

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said he still could not give an update on the age, gender and name of the shooter at Abundant Life Christian School.

He said there would be an update later Monday night where they hoped to confirm that information.

They understood that there was 'information circulating' on the internet but could not affirm that data.

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes plans to give an update at a news conference at a fire station about Monday’s shooting at a Christian school that left a teacher and student dead. The shooter is also dead.

Barnes is expected to be joined by other city and county officials.

Students were escorted from a church next to the Abundant Life Christian School and loaded on busses to be taken to a reunification center on Monday in Madison, Wisconsin.

A student and teacher were shot and killed and the alleged shooter, who police say they believe to have been a student at the school, was found dead at the scene, according to published reports.

Six others were injured with two in critical condition, the reports said.

Law enforcement sources are confirming that the shooter was a 17-year-old female, per CNN. Police later confirmed at a press conference that she was 15.

They also confirm that the student at Abundant Life Christian School died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

An unidentified teenage student and teacher were killed.

Multiple additional injuries have been reported, some life-threatening, according to the Madison Police Department. At least two students remain critically injured in hospital.

The governor Wisconsin has ordered the state and national flag to half-staff for the next six days in the wake of the Madison school shooting.

Tony Evers, a Democrat, said that 'there are no words to describe the devastation and heartbreak' for the three victims, their families and all others involved.

'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 added.

Doc Rivers, the NBA Champion head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, offered his disgust with the apathy in the wake of shootings like the one that happened in Madison Monday, just 80 miles west of where the Bucks play.

'You know, kids can’t go to school safe and it just seems like we don’t do anything about it. I’m not gonna get up here on the podium and give a long speech except for it’s just bad and that we’re thinking about them,' Rivers said at a press conference on Monday.

Rivers publicly endorsed Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.

Joe Biden demanded Congress act on a gun control bill in response to the shooting in Madison, Wisconsin Monday.

Biden said that 'it is unacceptable that we are unable to protect our children from this scourge of gun violence. We cannot continue to accept it as normal. Every child deserves to feel safe in their classroom.'

He added that he and First Lady Jill Biden were praying for everyone involved.

White House National Security spokesman John Kirby offered the government's condolences on the shooting.

He also promised support for the school would come from Washington for an investigation.

'Just horrific news, and news that no family, no parent, no sibling, no son or daughter ever wants to hear, so, just terrible and we will continue to stay focused on the community there in Madison, and we’ll obviously offer whatever help may be required or needed of local and state authorities.'

He added that Biden has been briefed on the shooting and said they 'are, as you would expect we would be, in touch with our local counterparts there in Madison to provide whatever support that they need.'

The shooter at Abundant Life Christian School has been identified as a female, according to police.

The suspect, who attended the school, was found deceased by police with a self-inflicted gunshot.

An unidentified teenage student and teacher were killed.

Multiple additional injuries have been reported, some life-threatening, according to the Madison Police Department. At least two students remain critically injured in hospital.

A handgun was also discovered by officers at the school.

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said the shooter's family is cooperating with police.

Wiconsin police have refused to relase the age of the teen who opened fire at Abundant Life Christian School, killing two.

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes told reporters the suspected shooter is 'still someones child.'

'There's nothing new that I can tell you about the shooter at this time.

'Again, 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.

'And so we want to make sure that we can ensure as much cooroperaiton as we can,' Barnes added.

The family of the suspected shooter is cooperating with police, Chief Barnes said.

He confirmed earlier that the shooter, who was found dead, was a student at Abundant Life Christian School.

Barnes did not say if the shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot or was killed by police.

Abundant Life Christian School did not have a school resource officer, according to Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes.

'If they did, it would be a police officer and I know where they all are and they’re not in the schools right now,' he said.

A handgun was discovered by officers at Abundant Life Christian School, according to Chief Barnes.

He did not reveal what kind of gun was found, but said that shooting was 'confined to one space.'

Students are currently being interviewed by police, which is why, according to Barnes, questions remain unanswered.

'We're going to give them the opprotunity to come in and speak to what they may have saw when they feel ready,' he added.

Bethany Highman, a parent of a studnet who attends Abundant Life Christian School, recalled what went through her head when she found out about the shooting.

'And as soon as it happened, I mean, your world, it stops. For a minute, everything is - just nothing else matters.

'There's nobody around you, you just bolt for the door and try to do everything you can as a parent to be by your kids,' Highman told The Capital Times.

Chief Barnes said happened in 'one space' in the building, but did not say whether it was a classroom or hallway.

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said six students are being treated at area hospitals, including two in critical condition with life-threatening injuries and four with non-life threatening injuries.

'Why did this happen? What do we know? What was the motivation?' chief Shon Barnes said. 'I do not know.'

Barnes added that detectives are working hard to find answers.

Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said in a press conference her focus was assisting the families affected by the school shooting on Monday.

She thanked first responders and the White House for reaching out to her office.

'The most important thing right now is to make sure that we are centering the victims and their families and that we're doing whatever we can to support them and help them heal,' Rhodes-Conway said.

'I am on record that we need to do better to prevent gun violence, and I hoped that this day would never come in Madison.'

Lisa Adams, a spokesperson for SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison, said the hospital has received patients from the shooting but declined to provide further details.

'We are praying for all affected by today’s tragic incident at Abundant Life Christian School and our community as a whole. We are grateful for the first responders who acted swiftly today,' she said.

'SSM Health is dedicated to serving our community. We remain committed to providing support and assistance in any way we can.'

Emily Greendonner, a spokesperson for UW Health, said it is also receiving patients from the shooting and setting up areas for patients’ families. UW Health is affiliated with the University of Wisconsin.

Madison police chief Shon Barnes gave an update on the school shooting shortly before 4pm EST.

The suspected shooter was a teen who attended the school and was found dead by police from a self-inflicted gunshot.

Baenwas said police are not releasing the shooter's name or gender at this time.

Those killed were a teenage student and a teacher.

Chief Barnes did not release their names.

The shooting took place at Abundant Life Christian School, a private institution that teaches some 400 students from kindergarten through 12th grade.

CNN has reported that the two victims in Monday's school shooting were a teacher and a student, citing a top law enforcement source.

The third deceased person was the shooter, who appears to have killed themselves before police arrived at the school.

Investigators believe the shooter used a 9mm pistol, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.

Chief Shon Barnes said schools should not have to have metal detectors for safety after he was asked on Monday whether the private school had such protections.

'Stop asking why schools don’t have bullet proof glass and metal detectors at all the doors,' Barnes said.

'Ask why schools HAVE to. That’s the question that needs to be asked.'

Hundreds of commenters offered prayers from around the country, some from former students, former teachers and alumni at Abundant Life Christian school.

The school of about 390 students noted on its Facebook page in previous posts that this was the last school week before holiday break.

Commenters also issued well wishes and prayers on videos of students on school trips and singing at the annual Christmas choir concert from recent weeks.

A bus carrying students was seen leaving the school as emergency vehicles are parked outside the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin.

Parents have been told to meet their children at a reunification center nearby.

Many social media users have started expressing outrage over the latest school massacre in the country.

'I’m not going to give any information about who the victims are, whether they’re students, staff or parents, because we need to make sure that we can notify people, chief Barnes told the press on Monday.

A medical team with the Madison police department were training for police shootings near Abundant Life Christian school when they had to respond to gunfire at the private institution.

'They left the training center immediately and came down here — and doing in real time what they were actually practicing for,'

said police chief Shon Barnes.

There have been at least 200 incidents of gunfire on school grounds in the US this year, according to Everytown research.

The shootings have resulted in 55 deaths and 147 injuries across the country.

Per CNN's count, this was the 83rd school shooting in 2024.

Baldwin issued a message on X following the school shooting and offered her office's assistance to those affected.

'Prayers Requested!' the private school posted online.

'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.'

'Officers located a juvenile who they believe was responsible for this deceased in the building,' said chief Shon Barnes.

Barnes added that officers did not fire any shots at the school when responding to the incident.

Senior White House officials are in touch with local counterparts in Madison to provide support as needed, the White House said on Monday.

The shooting's death toll has been updated to three, including the shooter, whose gender has not been revealed by police.

Police had previously wrongly stated that five were killed.

The shooter was reportedly a student at the school.

It's unclear how many victims were students and how many were staff.

Chief Barnes said in a press conference that officias believe the juvenile who opened fire at the Madison Christian school.

Barnes did not disclose the juvenile's gender.

Madison Police chief Shon Barnes said officers reponded to a call about an active shooter Monday morning.

The shooter was a juvenile but it's unclear whether he was a student at the school.

'Officers found multiple people suffering from gunshot wounds,' Barnes said in a press congere.

About seven people were transferred to the hospital.

Three people including the juvenile shooter were killed.

Barnes did not say if the shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot or was killed by police.

'This remains an active and ongoing investigation,' Madison police said in a statement.

'More information will be released as it is available. We currently need people to avoid the area.'

Police had blocked off roads around the school Monday afternoon.

Local sources say the shooter killed himself although it's unclear if he is among those who have been killed.

December 14 marked 12 years since the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut.

That shooting left six adults and 20 small children dead.

The 20-year-old shooter had killed his mother before and committed suicide after the massacre.

People are comforted near Sandy Hook Elementary School, Dec. 14, 2012 in Newtown, Conn.

Multiple children have been taken to the hospital following the shooting, CNN reported.

Local media have reported that police said the shooter is down.

Several reports said the shooter killed themselves but police have not confirmed that information.

Senator Ron Johnson sent consolences to the victims of Monday's shooting.

Abundant Life bosses say they teach students from about 300 local families.

The school was set up in 1978 and charges between $6,000 and $10,000-a-year tuition.

Madison Police described the shooting as an 'active scene' although the shooter is reported to have killed themselves.

The shooting happened just as class was beginning for the week. Investigators are yet to share the identities of the shooter, the victims, or give a possible motive.

Two people have been killed after a shooter burst into a classroom at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, on Monday morning.

The shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said. It is unclear if the shooter is among the two cops say were killed.

Three other people were injured.