Newly discovered photos and online accounts allegedly associated with Wisconsin's teenage school shooter suggest a deeply disturbing obsession with other school shooters like Columbine killer Eric Harris. and even shows her wearing a T-shirt from his favorite band.
A creepy photo of Natalie “Samantha” Lupnow, 15, posted on her father's Facebook page shows her wearing a shirt by German industrial rock band KMFDM and aiming a rifle at a shooting range. It's in the picture.
Harris was also photographed wearing the band's T-shirt before he and Dylan Klebold killed 13 people in the 1999 Columbine High School massacre.
The band's acronym name roughly translates to “no sympathy for the majority.”
Like Harris and Klebold, Rapnow went on a rampage Monday at the K-12 Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, killing another teen and a teacher, before turning the gun on himself and killing himself. He died from the gunshot wound.
Online posts and photos of her wearing the shirt have led to speculation that she may have been inspired by the Columbine massacre (which idolized fellow teenage villains) and other infamous school shootings. It's causing speculation. Police said they are still working to determine her exact motive.
The Anti-Defamation League said an X account believed to belong to Rapnow included a person flashing an “OK” sign in a post shared within minutes of her shooting. , the act was linked to other school shootings.
The account also shared a video of the 2015 school stabbing in Trollhattan, Sweden, and days before Maddison's murder, another disturbing post included a video of someone committing suicide at a shooting range. It also included, the paper said.
An account on the social blogging platform Tumblr is also believed to be associated with Rupnow and has posted images of guns and other school shooting-related content, including what appears to be screenshots of surveillance footage of the shooting. It also includes a profile photo that shows the object. authorities told ABC News.
The account also posted a photo of Parkland High School shooter Nikolas Cruz, and other posts referenced the 2007 school shooting in Jokela, Finland.
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A CashApp account linked to Rupnow also reportedly features a photo of the Columbine shooter.
Her father was asked by a Facebook user if it was “Kiddo” in the snapshot from the shooting range, to which he replied: “Sure it is!!!!”
“We started at NBSC this spring and have loved every minute of it,” Dad said.
Other photos on Lupnow's father's Facebook page show her happily playing in the leaves with her two dogs.
According to police, she brought a handgun to campus and fired the gun inside a study hall classroom around 11 a.m.
Police said Tuesday that some of the shootings may have been caused by bullying, but officials added it was too early to tell whether the shooter's parents would face charges.
Madison Police Chief Sean Burns said at a news conference that the investigation into what exactly motivated Rapnow to open fire inside the school is underway.
The police chief said, “There are always warning signs before a school shooting occurs.''
“We are investigating her online activities,” he said. “We are asking anyone who knew her or who can give us an idea of what she was up to yesterday to come forward.”
“On the issue of bullying, we are talking to students to understand if bullying is one of the multiple factors I mentioned earlier,” he said.
Burns said the department is still working to determine the authenticity of a “manifesto” widely circulated online attributed to the shooter.
In an unidentified document, the author states, “I have come to hate people and society, but it's not really my fault, and it never was. All he did was bully me and make fun of me, and pushed me into a corner without offering any help.”
“While we cannot confirm its authenticity, we are certainly aware that it was posted,” Burns said, adding that his office is working with the FBI to investigate the post.
Questions remain about how Rapunau obtained the gun used in the killing.
Wisconsin and federal law generally prohibit anyone under 18 from owning a firearm.
Madison Mayor Satya Rose Conway said it was “too early” to tell whether Rapnow's parents might ultimately face criminal charges, adding, “We don't have enough information yet. “I haven't been able to do that,” he admitted.
“Everyone was targeted in this case and everyone was at equal risk,” Burns said, addressing whether the gunman was targeting specific people in the morning's violence.
After the shooting, initial rumors surfaced about Lupnow's gender identity and whether she might be transgender.
Mr Burns dismissed the debate as “completely unimportant”.
“I don't know if Natalie was transgender or not, and frankly I don't think it matters at all,” he said Monday.
“I don't think whatever happened today has anything to do with her or him or how they want to identify,” Burns said.
The comment came when asked about a series of unverified online posts claiming that Rapnow was transgender and suggesting that she was involved in the massacre.
According to her statement of faith, the small Christian school she attended is staunchly conservative, rejecting the theory of evolution and insisting that local governments are chosen by God.
“I wish people would put aside their personal biases,” the police chief complained about rumors about Rapnow's gender.
“We lost a member of our community. That may come to light later on, but it doesn't matter right now in terms of what we're doing today.”
Authorities said Rapnow opened fire on a room full of study hall children ranging in age from kindergarten to high school.
He said the conditions of the six injured people who were rushed to local hospitals “have not changed.”
The two injured teens were in “life-threatening” condition.
The other four injured were a part-time lecturer and three students.
He also clarified the widely reported claim that the 911 call reporting shots fired inside the school was made by a second-grade student. Actually, it was my second grade teacher who called me.
In a bizarre moment near the end of the press conference, Rose-Conway took a sharp swipe at reporters who asked about the victims.
“Okay, I'll just say this and say this: None of you are the victims of this incident,” she said.
“Please have some human decency and respect for those who have lost loved ones, those who have hurt themselves, and those whose children have been injured. Please have a little more human decency, everyone. Let them be. Let them grieve. Let them heal. Don't feed on their pain.”
