The quiet halls of Abundant Life Christian School were shattered on a Monday morning when a shooter opened fire. Now, new details have emerged following the tragic act that left a grieving community grappling with heartbreak and unanswered questions.
Investigators have been working to uncover the story of 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow, who opened fire at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, leaving a community reeling.
Police were first alerted to an active shooter in a classroom at 10:57 a.m., when a second-grade teacher called 911 to report the incident. Initially, Chief of Police Shon Barnes stated that a second-grade student had made the call, but later corrected this information.
Officers reached the school within minutes of the call and discovered that the gunman was already incapacitated, thus they did not fire their weapons during the response.
Chief Shon Barnes addressing the public following the Abundant Life Christian School shooting. |
Barbara Wiers, the director of elementary and school relations, explained that safety drills at the school are always announced ahead of time, but no such notification occurred on the day of the shooting, just a week before the holiday break. “When they heard, ‘Lockdown, lockdown,’ they knew it was real,” she said.
Yellow crime scene tape still marks the school grounds where, according to Chief Barnes, a teacher and a fellow teenage student lost their lives, and others were injured. However, their names have not been released at the time of writing as the investigation is still ongoing.
Early reports of five deaths were revised by Madison Police to confirm three fatalities, including Rupnow, who died on the way to a hospital from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Of the injured, two students remain in critical condition, while four others were treated at area hospitals.
Chief Barnes expressed the profound emotional toll this tragedy has had on him and the entire community. “I’m feeling a little dismayed now, so close to Christmas. 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,” he said.
Barnes spent four years teaching history at a public high school before transitioning to a career in law enforcement and admitted that the shooting had a profound impact on him.
Rupnow, who went by Samantha, was a student at Abundant Life Christian School. Although initial media reports incorrectly identified her as 17, authorities confirmed her age and the circumstances of her death.
“I don’t know whether [the shooter] was transgender or not,” Barnes said during a news conference when asked about Rupnow’s gender identity.
“I don’t think that whatever happened today has anything to do with how she or he or they may have wanted to identify,” he continued. “And I wish people would kind of leave their own personal biases out of this.”
During a later news conference, Chief Barnes stated that the motive appeared to involve multiple factors, leaving police to interview students to determine if bullying played a role. Police believe that the shooter was already in school when the attack began and that there wasn’t any breach.
“Everyone was targeted in this incident, and everyone was put in equal danger,” Barnes said. According to reports, Rupnow used a nine-millimeter pistol in the attack, which ended when she turned the weapon on herself.
Her family is said to be cooperating with investigators, who are working with the shooter’s friends and loved ones to determine how she acquired the firearm, what led to the rampage, and whether they knew of an attack plot or had been warned of the violence that was to come.
We also want to look at if the parents may have been negligent, and that’s a question that we’ll have to answer with our district attorney’s office,” Barnes said. “But at this time, that does not appear to be the case.”
On Rupnow’s father’s Facebook page, the banner photo features a young girl skeet shooting with a long gun at a shooting club near Madison. Comments on the page suggest the girl is the Abundant Life school shooter.
This image, along with other social media posts and pictures, are among the potential warning signs that may have been overlooked and are currently being examined by police and federal investigators.
There are always signs of a school shooting before it occurred,” Chief Barnes said. “Some of you have reached out about Rupnow’s social media activity prior to yesterday’s shooting. We’re looking into her online activity.”
In the hours leading up to the shooting, other troubling signs appeared online. Social media posts linked to an account believed to belong to Rupnow showed her in a bathroom stall making a hand gesture associated with white supremacist shooters.
Another post from the same account before the shooting included a link to a Google Drive. Police are investigating whether the drive contained a six-page declaration linked to the shooter that has been circulating online.
We have been made aware of a manifesto if you want to call it that, or some type of letter that’s been posted by someone who alleged to be her friend. We haven’t been able to locate that person yet, but that’s something we’re going to work on today,” Barnes confirmed.
Police at the home of 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow in Madison, Wisconsin, on December 17, 2024.
If this document is confirmed to be her suicide note, it outlines several possible personal motives and offers attempted explanations for authorities to examine.
Investigators are also gathering evidence from the home where the 15-year-old shooter lived. On the night of the school attack, police evidence teams served a search warrant, tearing the front door off the house in the process.
They are particularly interested in identifying all firearms she may have had access to and are working with her father to understand what he knew about his daughter’s attack on her school. “But again, he lost someone as well,” Barnes added.
Retired FBI agent Daniel Brunner underscored the importance of addressing such red flags, noting, “If they missed a red flag and chose not to address it, if she made overt actions and overt statements that she wants to kill and they didn’t do it, that should be considered too.”
While the investigation continues, the Madison Police Department has asked the public to avoid the school, which remains an active crime scene.
There will be no access to Abundant Life Christian School this evening. We have been told there are potential vigils in the work for this evening outside of the school,” the Madison Police Department shared in part on Facebook.
Families and students reunited at a local urgent care clinic following the shooting, with the school expressing gratitude for the community’s overwhelming support.
“All of our students have been united with their parents and we are grateful for all the support,” Abundant Life Christian School shared in part on Facebook.
We have been flooded with thoughts & prayers. This great nation is behind us,” the post continued. Federal and local law enforcement are now analyzing Rupnow’s electronic devices, searching for clues.
As the investigation into the Abundant Life Christian School shooting continues, the Madison community remains in mourning. Authorities are working to uncover the motive behind Natalie Rupnow’s attack, while the focus shifts to supporting the victims’ families and ensuring the safety of students moving forward.
