What we know about the 2 killed, 6 injured in Wisconsin Christian school shooting
(NEXSTAR) — A student and a teacher were killed and six more people were injured Monday after a 15-year-old student opened fire in a study hall at a Christian school, according to police in Wisconsin's capitol city.
As of Tuesday morning, the victims had not been publicly identified. Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said Monday night that the student killed was a teenager but did not provide any additional information.
Those injured include five students and another teacher. During a Tuesday afternoon press conference, Barnes said that two students remain in critical condition. Of the others who were injured, all with less serious injuries, two remain hospitalized.
The ages of the students have also not been shared but Abundant Life Christian School, a nondenominational school of roughly 420 students in Madison, serves pre-kindergarten through high school.
It's unclear if those who were killed and injured were targeted. On Tuesday, Barnes said "everyone was targeted" in the shooting.
“Every child, every person in that building is a victim and will be a victim forever. ... We need to figure out and try to piece together what exactly happened," Barnes said.
Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and Dane County Executive Melissa Agard declined to disclose the names of the victims during Tuesday's press conference, which Barnes left after making remarks.
“Leave them alone,” Rhodes-Conway snapped. "Let them grieve. Let them recover. Let them heal."
Multiple services and vigils have been planned to honor the victims of Monday's shooting, according to Madison outlet WISC. The United Way of Dane County has also established an emergency recovery fund with all proceeds going to the school's families.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has ordered flags in the state to be flown at half-staff in honor of the victims. The order began Monday and will run through sunset on Sunday.
“Kathy and I join the people of Wisconsin in praying for the families and loved ones of those whose lives were so senselessly taken and for the educators, staff, and the entire Abundant Life school community as they grapple with the grief, trauma, and loss of this gut-wrenching tragedy,” Evers said in a statement. “We are also praying and hoping all those injured survive and recover.”
The shooter has been identified as Natalie Rupnow, who was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound by arriving officers. She died en route to the hospital.
The website for the anti-violence organization Everytown for Gun Safety shows that there have been at least 202 incidents of gunfire on school grounds, resulting in 56 deaths and 147 injuries, in 2024. That data doesn’t include the latest shooting in Madison.
The deadliest school shooting in 2024 happened in September at Apalachee High School in Georgia.
Last year, 45 people died in 158 school shootings, the Everytown for Gun Safety website shows. Sixty-seven people died in 181 school shootings in 2022, according to the data.
Firearms were the leading cause of death among children in 2020 and 2021, according to KFF, a nonprofit that researches health care issues.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.