 "Wisconsin school shooting: Who was 15-year-old girl shooter? What was the motive of attack that killed 2?")
School shootings carried out by a girl remain rare, with females responsible for only about 3% of all mass shootings in the United States.
In an incident at a private Christian school in the Madison region of Wisconsin, two people were killed, leaving the close-knit religious community grieving just days before the school was set to close for Christmas.
ALSO READ | Georgia school shooting: Who is Colt Gray, 14-year-old gunman, one of the youngest in US?
The suspect, identified as a 15-year-old girl named Natalie Rupnow, who also went by the name Samantha, was found dead at the scene, according to Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes.
What happened?
The shooting took place just days before the Christmas holiday break.
Late Monday morning, a teenage student opened fire at Abundant Life Christian School , killing a fellow student and a teacher. The suspect was also found dead. Barnes confirmed that the responding officers had not fired their weapons.
Authorities said that the attacker, identified as Natalie Rupnow, had been attending the school before the shooting. Investigators believe that she died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and that a 9mm pistol was used in the attack, a law enforcement official told the Associated Press.
Six other students were injured, with two suffering life-threatening injuries. Police have not yet determined a motive for the shooting, though the suspect’s family is co-operating with the investigation.
The school’s website indicated that Friday was meant to be the final day of classes before the Christmas break.
In a statement, US President Joe Biden said, “From Newtown to Uvalde, Parkland to Madison, to so many other shootings that don’t receive attention - it is unacceptable that we are unable to protect our children from this scourge of gun violence.”
“We cannot continue to accept it as normal. Every child deserves to feel safe in their class room. Students across our country should be learning how to read and write - not having to learn how to duck and cover.”
As a precaution, nine public schools in Madison were placed on lockdown for several hours following the incident.
‘Lockdown, Lockdown’
The shooter arrived at school on time and pulled out a handgun roughly three hours into the school day, officials said.
Once the shooting began, students were locked in their classrooms and “handled themselves magnificently,” Barbara Wiers, Abundant Life’s director of elementary and school relations, said in a statement.
ALSO READ | How mass killings in the US have already claimed 131 lives in 2024
Students are trained on how to respond to active shooter situations and are typically reassured with the phrase, “this is just a drill,” Wiers said.
“They were clearly scared…when they heard ‘lockdown, lockdown’ and nothing else, they knew it was real.”
Following the incident, officials confirmed that students were moved off campus to a designated site where survivors were reunited with their parents.
Gun control and school safety remain major political and social issues in the United States, as school shootings have increased sharply in recent years. The epidemic of gun violence has affected public and private schools across urban, suburban, and rural areas.
The shooting led to a major emergency response. Madison Fire Chief Chris Carbon said 15 ambulances were dispatched to the scene. Federal agencies, including the FBI, joined local law enforcement officials as part of the response.
Abundant Life Christian School has approximately 400 students from kindergarten through high school.
Who is Natalie ‘Samantha’ Rupnow?
Officials identified the shooter as Natalie “Samantha” Rupnow, a 15-year-old student at Abundant Life Christian School.
Rupnow brought a handgun to the campus and opened fire at around 11 am, Barnes said on Monday evening. She was later found dead at the scene from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, sources told CNN.
“She was a student at the school and evidence suggests that she died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” police confirmed.
Detectives have been in contact with Rupnow’s family as they continue to investigate a possible motive for the attack, Barnes added.
ALSO READ | 17-year-old behind shooting at Iowa school: Why are more adolescents picking up guns in the US?
What was the motive for shooting? What’s next in the investigation?
Federal and local law enforcement are now examining the crime scene to determine the suspect’s motive and provide support to the grieving school community, CNN said in a report.
“Whether they were targeted or not would speak to motivation, and we don’t know that answer just yet,” Barnes said.
The attack at Abundant Life Christian School marks at least the 83rd school shooting in 2024, already surpassing 2023 for the highest number of school shootings in a single year since CNN began tracking such incidents in 2008.
What we know about the school
Abundant Life is a nondenominational Christian school in Madison, Wisconsin, for students from prekindergarten through high school.
Barbara Wiers said at a Monday news briefing that while the school does not have metal detectors, it has other security measures such as cameras.
She added that safety protocols are regularly carried out, announcing that faculty had undergone retraining with the Madison Police Department just before the school year began.
“It was very fresh for faculty,” Wiers said.
Following the shooting, the school issued a statement requesting for prayers: “Prayers Requested! Today, we had an active shooter incident at ALCS…We are in the midst of following up. We will share information as we are able. Please pray for our Challenger Family.”
Abundant Life Christian School, founded in 1978, aims to offer “academic excellence in a Christ-focused context,” the school’s website reads. The school is accredited through the Association of Christian Schools International.
With inputs from agencies
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
