On December 16, 2024, a school shooting occurred at the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, United States.[4] Three people, including the perpetrator, identified as 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow,[5] have been confirmed dead, with six reportedly injured.[1][6] According to CNN, the shooting is at least the 83rd school shooting in the U.S. in 2024.[2]
The Abundant Life Christian School is a private K–12 school founded in 1978. The main building is located next to the City Church Madison and shares a 28-acre campus with the Campus for Kids Learning Center, an infants through kindergarten center in addition to the church. About 200 families from more than 50 local congregations are enrolled in the school, which had about 390 students enrolled at the time of the shooting. The school is part of the Trailways Conference, an athletic conference which includes other small public and private schools in the area.[7][8] At the time of the shooting the school had cameras installed but no metal detectors or a school resource officer.[9][10]
Including this shooting, there have been eighty-three school shootings in the United States in 2024. Female school shooting suspects are rare, with only eight other shooting suspects or about 4% identified as female since the 1999 Columbine High School Shooting.[11]
Shooting
The shooting occurred inside of a classroom which was a study hall.[12][13] According to the Madison Police Department, they received a 911 call from a second-grade teacher inside the school at 10:57a.m. CST.[14][15][16][17] The shooting occurred in a mixed age and grade study hall.[9]
Law enforcement arrived at the school and found the shooter dead at 11:05a.m., believed to be from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.[18] At 11:14a.m. school staff and students were evacuated.[19] The suspect was initially reported as a teenage juvenile and a student at the school.[7] None of the responding officers fired their weapons. After an initial sweep of the school, police officials reported that there was no further threat to the public.[8]
According to various local news agencies, a public safety alert was sent to nearby phones at around 11:20 a.m.[7]
Victims
During an initial news conference, officials from the Madison Police Department reported that the death toll was five people, but later amended their report and said that at least three people, including the suspected shooter, were dead.[18] One of the deceased victims was a student at the school, while the other was a teacher, according to the police chief.[20]
Six people were injured, two critically.[18] Four patients from the shooting were treated at SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital in Madison, according to Lisa Adams, a spokesperson for the hospital. Two of the injured victims were later discharged. The other two patients remained hospitalized but were in stable condition.[21]
Perpetrator
A law enforcement official said that the perpetrator was identified as Natalie Lynn "Samantha" Rupnow, a 15-year-old female student at the school. Three months prior to the shooting, Natalie's father Jeff Rupnow took her to the North Bristol Shooting Club, a shooting range.[22][23]Reduxx's Anna Slatz published what she alleged to be the shooter's manifesto.[24][25] Her alleged social media accounts contained feelings of alienation.[26] At the time of publication the manifesto was not yet authenticated by Madison police, who were working to do so.[27] A photo spread online of Rupnow wearing a KMFDM T-shirt that was the same kind that Eric Harris, one of the perpetrators of the Columbine High School massacre, wore in various amateur videos.[28]
The police held a press conference at 9:30p.m. ET releasing more information about the suspect's identity.[29] According to Chief Barnes, Rupnow was declared dead while being transported to the local hospital. Barnes also said that it seems Rupnow died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The Dane County Medical Examiner's Office will confirm an official cause of death later.[21]
Aftermath
The Boys and Girls Clubs of Dane County announced they would hold a candlelight vigil the day after the shooting at the State Capitol grounds.[30]
On December 17, a memorial was set up to honor the victims of the shooting on a sidewalk near the school. Former students among others brought offerings such as poinsettia flowers to the memorial.[27]
Investigation
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives was at the scene following the shooting. A spokesperson said the bureau recovered the 9mm caliber handgun used in the shooting and was running a trace on it.[2] The perpetrator's family cooperated with law enforcement throughout the investigation.[31] Chief Barnes said he was aware that alleged manifesto, claimed to be from the shooter, was circulating the internet, but he could not confirm its authenticity.[32]
The shooter's home is being searched by law enforcement in order to gather computers and other personal devices that will be used to identify the shooter's digital footprint. Additionally, police are searching the suspected shooter's social media accounts for hints that could help them establish motive behind the attack.[33]
Wisconsin GovernorTony Evers ordered the United States and Wisconsin flags to be flown at half-mast and released a statement on X shortly after the shooting tweeting that he was closely monitoring the shooting and the community and was praying for the students, educators, and community as they await more information. He said, "We are praying for the kids, educators, and entire Abundant Life school community as we await more information and are grateful for the first responders who are working quickly to respond."[34]
Wisconsin senators Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson posted separate statements on social media offering their condolences and prayers to all the victims, and stated they would continue to monitor the situation and assist law enforcement as needed.[35] Shortly after the shooting, the school's Facebook page posted, stating that they had had an active shooter incident and were asking for prayers.[7]
Chief of Police Shon F. Barnes told the media, "Every child, every person in that building, is a victim and will be a victim forever. These types of trauma don't just go away."[36]
Abundant Life Christian School (ALCS) is a private Christian school located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It is one of the largest non-sectarian private schools in the Madison area. ALCS was founded by Lake City Church in 1978 under the leadership of Pastor Warren Heckman. ALCS was established to be a community Christian school and welcomes families from a variety of churches. ALCS is a K–12 school which shares its 28-acre (110,000 m2) campus with City Church and Campus for Kids, an infant to pre-kindergarten child care center. While the three ministries are closely related, the students and staff represent over 50 churches, and many neighborhoods in Madison and its surrounding communities.
On July 4, 2022, a mass shooting occurred during an Independence Day parade in Highland Park, Illinois, United States. The shooting occurred at 10:14a.m. CDT (UTC−05:00), roughly 15 minutes after the parade had started. Seven people were killed, and 48 others were wounded by bullets or shrapnel.
On October 13, 2022, a mass shooting took place in the Hedingham neighborhood of Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Five people were killed, and two others were injured. The accused, a male juvenile named Austin Thompson, was detained after being cornered by police at a nearby residence and was in critical condition from a gunshot wound to the head sustained during the incident. Thompson survived his head injury and has begun to receive physical rehabilitation. He was transferred from a hospital to the medical unit of a juvenile correctional facility.
On November 19–20, 2022, an anti-LGBTQ–motivated mass shooting occurred at Club Q, a gay bar in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States. Five people were murdered, and twenty-five others were injured, nineteen of them by gunfire. The shooter, 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich, was also injured while being restrained, and was taken to a local hospital. Aldrich was then charged and remanded in custody. On June 26, 2023, Aldrich pled guilty to the shooting and state level charges and was officially sentenced to a total of five consecutive life terms plus an additional consecutive 2,211 years, all without the possibility of parole. On January 16, 2024, Aldrich was additionally charged with 50 federal hate crimes in connection with the shooting. On June 18, 2024, Aldrich pleaded guilty to the federal charges and was sentenced to 55 concurrent life sentences without parole, plus a consecutive 190 years.
On November 22, 2022, Andre Marcus Bing killed six co-workers and injured four others before taking his own life, in retaliation for perceived workplace harassment at the Walmart Supercenter where he worked as a night-supervisor in Chesapeake, Virginia, United States. Bing's suicide note cited concern he was being "led by Satan" and asking forgiveness – while also mentioning cancer treatments and loneliness.
On October 25, 2023, 40-year-old Robert Card carried out a spree shooting in Lewiston, Maine, United States, killing 18 people and wounding 13 others. The initial attack occurred at the Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley during a youth league event, followed shortly by a second shooting at the Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant. Following these events, Card escaped, prompting the Androscoggin County Sheriff's Office to initiate an extensive manhunt and release his photograph identifying him as the suspect.
The following is a list of events of the year 2024 in Wisconsin.
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