Police identify Wisconsin school shooter as 15-year-old student

Update, 10:10 p.m.:

In the day’s fourth and final news conference, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said the shooter at a Christian school today was 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow, who went by the name Samantha. He said Rupnow was the previously mentioned individual who was pronounced dead while en route to the hospital. Barnes said police were still trying to determine a motive. He said investigators were currently speaking with Rupnow’s father, who was cooperating, and had already conducted a search on Rupnow’s Madison home. Police believe Rupnow was the only shooter involved in the attack.

A reporter asked Barnes about a document that has surfaced on Google Docs purportedly written by Rupnow. Barnes said investigators were aware of the document but have not yet been able to authenticate it.

Barnes also provided a more detailed timeline of events. He said the shooting took place in a classroom that was serving as a study hall. Students from multiple grade levels were inside the classroom at the time.

He said a second grade student made the first call to 911 dispatchers at 10:57 a.m. and alerted them of the shootings. The first law enforcement arrived on the scene three minutes later, according to Barnes. The first officer with the Madison Police Department arrived on the scene at 11:01 a.m. and immediately went inside. At 11:05 a.m., officers discovered that the shooter was down and recovered the gun. Barnes said the first notification to the public was published at 11:13 a.m., less than 20 minutes after the first 911 call.

Barnes said a total of three people are dead. That includes Rupnow, as well as a teacher and student who were pronounced dead at the scene. Six people were injured, including two who remain in critical condition with life-threatening injuries. One teacher and three students were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Barnes said there were initial plans to hold a vigil at the school Monday night, but he asked the public not to do so. He said the school is still a crime scene and no one is allowed on the property.

Another news conference is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT on Tuesday, at which time Barnes said he plans to release the names of the victims.

Update, 7:15 p.m.:

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes told reporters at the third news conference of the day that all surviving students had been reunited with their loved ones. As some teachers and staff stayed late to facilitate that process, many of them were still in the process of reuniting with their families.

As of Monday evening, three people are dead, including the shooter. Barnes said two people were pronounced dead at the scene, and the third was pronounced dead while en route to the hospital. 

Of the six people who were injured, two remained in critical condition with life-threatening injuries, Barnes said. The other people injured, a teacher and three students, received injuries that were not life-threatening, and two of them have been already been released from the hospital, Barnes said.

Barnes did not release information about the identity of the suspected shooter. He said he was aware of reports circulating on social media claiming to have details about the shooter, but urged the public not to post information that has not been released by police. He said police were currently interviewing the suspect’s parents, who are cooperating.

Barbara Wiers, the director of elementary and school relations at Abundant Life Christian School, said the school did not have metal detectors or a school resource officer. She added that the school does have security protocols in place, including monitored surveillance cameras and staff who visually scan students as they enter the building.

When asked by a reporter about the prevailing mood or message among parents, Wiers said parents are reminding each other that today's tragic events were not a surprise to God. She said He will do something mighty through it, turning beauty to ashes and carrying them through.

Another news conference is scheduled for 8:30 p.m CST (9:30 ET) at which time Barnes said he expects to release information about the suspected shooter.

A police officer directs traffic as emergency vehicles are parked outside the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wis., where multiple injuries were reported following a shooting, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. Associated Press / Photo by Morry Gash

Update, 4:28 p.m.:

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes on Monday afternoon confirmed that a teenage shooter killed at least one teacher and one fellow student at the Abundant Life Christian School. The shooter wounded an additional six students, two of whom are in the hospital with life-threatening injuries, Barnes said. Authorities declined to release the name or any identifying information about the shooter, whom police found deceased on the scene. Officials Monday afternoon were still reunifying students with their parents at the Dean Clinic down the street from the school.

Jim Smith’s daughter is a junior at ALCS. He spoke to WORLD while waiting at the clinic to be reunited with his daughter. A friend contacted Smith Monday morning to tell him about the shooting, but because ALCS does not allow students to have cellphones in class, he could not immediately reach his daughter. His older daughter picked him up and they drove to the clinic together to wait for updates.

Smith said that with God’s help, he was not only able to keep calm, but feel a peace. He said he decided he was going to be present for other people until he learned his daughter's situation. The waiting room was filled with loved ones praying and crying together as officials met with those gathered, Smith said.

When Smith’s daughter arrived at the clinic, she borrowed a classmate’s phone to call her mother. While knowing she was OK brought Smith a sense of relief, he said he still feels grief for the lives who were lost. He added that no one ever thinks something so horrific could happen at their school, neighborhood or city. Smith said he is resting on his faith as he processes the shooting, both personally and with his daughters.

“That’s the prayer, that the enemy does not get his day. He put his fangs and his claws and he swiped and it hurts. It’s devastating,” Smith said. “We will rise up and say, ‘now we're not letting you take the rest of us there. It’s not going to be a dark cloud over our hearts.’ We're not giving the enemy any more ground than he's already taken.”

Update, 2:45 p.m.:

The Madison Police Department Monday afternoon said it erroneously reported that five people had died in the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wis. earlier that day. Three people died in the shooting, and six others suffered injuries during the incident, police clarified. Police said they would provide more details on the shooting at 2:30 p.m. CST.

Update, 1:35 p.m.:

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes on Monday told reporters that the suspected shooter was among the deceased. Five injured people were transported from Abundant Life Christian School to area hospitals, police said during the news conference. Neither the suspect nor any of the victims were identified pending family notifications. Police were still fully clearing the area with bomb-sniffing dogs, he said.

When did the shooting begin? At about 10:57 a.m., officers responded to reports of the shooting at the school, Barnes said. Officers found the suspected juvenile shooter dead when they arrived on the scene and did not fire their weapons. Barnes did not say whether the shooter was male or female but said he believed the shooter was a student at the school. Authorities administered first aid to injured individuals. Police were gathering evidence at the scene, Barnes said. Police said they would provide another update later Monday afternoon.

Associated Press / Photo by Matt Rourke, file

Initial post, 1:15 p.m.:

Officers were investigating a shooting at Abundant Life Christian School, the Madison Police Department said around noon Monday. The shooting injured multiple people. The investigation was active and ongoing and authorities would provide the media with more information later, the department said.

What school is this? Abundant Life Christian School has more than 400 students in grades K-12, according to the Association of Christian Schools International.

It was founded in 1978, according to the school’s website. The student body comprises students from roughly 200 families and nearly 56 churches in the local area, according to the school’s website. Its 28-acre campus on Buckeye Road on the east side of Madison includes computer labs, band and music facilities, and two gymnasiums. The school markets itself as offering large-school opportunities in relatively small classrooms and a respectful, Christ-centered atmosphere. Abundant Life holds the Bible to be the inspired Word of God, and relies on the Bible as the foundation of everything it teaches, according to a statement from Principal Doug Butler on the school website.