Police say the gunman who killed at least two people Monday at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, was 15-year-old Natalie Rapnow. The New York Times reported.
Police added that Rapnow died from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the newspaper said. According to police, the suspect is a student at the same school and was using a 9mm gun, and police are currently tracking the gun. WBBM-TV reported.
“But the trauma is considerable, because I'm sure they lost a friend and a teacher. It's not okay. And I don't think they'll be okay for a long time…”
According to the newspaper, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said the gunman, who identified himself as “Samantha,” opened fire in a study room where students from multiple grades gathered. This school serves students in grades K through 12th.
Authorities told the newspaper that a teacher and a teenage student were killed, and five students and a teacher were injured.
Burns told the Times that two of the students with life-threatening injuries were taken to hospital in critical condition. Three students and one teacher were hospitalized with minor injuries, but two of them have been discharged, he added in the paper.
Burns said a second-grade student called 911 to report the shooting just before 11 a.m., WBBM reported.
Burns told the Times that there appeared to be only one shooter, and that investigators searched the suspect's home in Madison and spoke with family members who were cooperating. The police chief did not provide a motive, the paper said, adding that investigators were still looking into more information.
More from the Times:
Young women are far less likely to be suspects in school shootings. According to the K-12 School Shooting Database, 249 mass shooting suspects this year were male when their gender was determined, compared to nine who were female.
Rebecca Smith, 50, whose teenage daughter attended a physics class down the hall, said “Abundant Life” was a kind of school for children who were bullied or had a hard time at other schools. It served well as a shelter. Because the staff immediately put an end to the brutality. from where the shooting occurred.
Smith said school officials believe the shooter was a new student at the private school this year and was one of the students who needed a change in his life. She said the school's student population has increased dramatically since the pandemic.
All of the surviving students were reunited with their loved ones hours after the shooting, officials told WBBM.
On December 16, 2024, students are escorted from the church next to Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin.Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images
Mireille Jean-Charles, a mother of three boys who attend Abundant Life Christian School, spoke by phone, the station said. WISC TV in Madison: “It's sad when you're at home and someone calls you and says it's your child's school.” [is] We don't know where they are during the lockdown. And I've been there since 11 o'clock. I finally got them and thank God they were okay. But there is a lot of trauma. Because they are sure that they have lost a friend and teacher. That's not okay. And I don't think they'll be okay for long, but I'm not. ”
You can view the video report here About shooting.
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