At Abundant Life shootings in Madison, residents process grief

On By Littum

This story was updated to add new information.

MADISON – At citywide vigils Tuesday evening, Madison residents gathered to mourn and begin to process Monday’s deadly shooting at Abundant Life Christian School, which killed a student and a teacher and left several others injured.

Some were closely connected to the school community. Some were not. But they were united in deep pain over the tragedy that had unfolded.

Hundreds of people gathered at the State Capitol downtown for a public vigil organized by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County. They helped each other light candles and signed three crosses placed on the plot.

Charles Moore, executive director of Impact Christian Schools, which oversees religious schools including Abundant Life, told the Journal Sentinel at the vigil that “it’s hard to fathom the shock” of what had happened. He said faculty and staff pray and prepare for situations like this, but to be in the middle of it was unthinkable and the school would be closed until after Christmas break.

He asked the community not to waver in their prayers for those involved.

“There are still some very, very hurt children in the hospital,” Moore said. “It doesn’t end on the first day, in the first few minutes. Lives have been torn apart.”

Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway told the crowd that the city would never be the same and urged people to rely on each other during the difficult road ahead.

“Let’s be a community where when we see someone in need, we are the first to reach out and offer resources where they are needed,” Rhodes-Conway said. “Let’s be a community that cares for each other. That’s where our focus is right now, on caring for everyone who has been affected by this gun violence.”

US Senator Tammy Baldwin and US Rep. Mark Pocan, both Madison Democrats, sent remarks from Washington expressing their grief and urging those gathered to take action against gun violence. Renee Moe, executive director of the United Way of Dane County, recommended parents be good listeners to their children in the coming days, limit media exposure and talk about how to support each other.

“There’s no plan for how to move forward,” Moe said.

When the guard at the Capitol was disbanded, five golden retrievers and their handlers reported for duty. They have undergone 2,000 hours of training to be emotional support dogs. During the vigil, many participants, overcome with emotion, had to walk away.

“We had more people who wanted to get away from all the talk and just sit down quietly with the dogs,” said the Rev. Chris Singer, president and CEO of Lutheran Church Charity, based in Northbrook, Illinois. “And every time they do, science shows that it gives our bodies a chance to start relaxing.”

Singer told the Journal Sentinel that the department has 127 trained dogs in 27 states that show up in times of crisis. It wasn’t long ago that a set of eager golden retrievers went to comfort families who lost everything in Hurricane Helene.

In addition to furry friends like Samson, a 6-year-old golden retriever who has been training since he was 8 weeks old for moments like this, Lutheran Church Charity also had spiritual first responders on call to help people navigate the pervasive sense of sadness in the air.

“We have an opportunity to provide space for people to share their story, their experiences and their feelings. And then we’re trained and certified to be able to help them, especially if they’re stuck,” Singer said. “We give that comfort and reassurance that there is love in so many forms, even when it’s hard to remember.”

At City Church in Madison, residents mourn in prayer and song

At 5:30 p.m. Tuesday night outside City Church in Madison, the non-denominational Christian church next to Abundant Life Christian School, vehicles streamed into the parking lot as police checked every car and pedestrian to make sure they were there for the vigil . Cars were lined up for more than half a kilometer waiting to enter.

Outside the church, people embraced with heavy feelings. Organizers said no media would be allowed inside because it was a private place for the community to gather in prayer, but the church provided a live stream of the event on its website.

After a moving song, lead pastor Tom Flaherty thanked first responders and those who have provided food and other resources over the past day. Quoting hymns about looking for God in times of adversity, Flaherty urged attendees who were at the school when the shooting happened not to blame themselves for anything they did or didn’t do.

“What happened yesterday at the ALCS was from hell,” Flaherty said. “For reasons unknown to us, God allowed it to happen.”

Before breaking a moment of silence, Flaherty asked those gathered to let God come into their hearts to comfort them.

Students plan night vigil at Catholic parish on Madison’s west side

When the city church’s service ended, another began in St. Maria Goretti Parish. The wake was organized by senior students at St. Ambrose Academya private Catholic school with ties to Abundant Life Christian School.

More than 100 community members packed the pews in the triangular church building on Madison’s west side and mourned together by candlelight under wood-paneled ceilings and illustrations of the Stations of the Cross, which depict each of the steps leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion. As people entered, many of them young, they embraced each other and tears were shed.

Journalists were not allowed to record the service or interview members of the local community at the vigil. An administrator who declined to be interviewed said the focus should be on praying for the community.

Pastor Scott Emerson, who led the vigil, reminded those in attendance that the church they gathered in is named after Saint Maria Gorettia young girl in early 20th century Italy who was stabbed multiple times and eventually died from her injuries. Before her death, she absolved her attacker, Emerson noted—a powerful declaration of forgiveness.

“Some days evil has its day. Scripture tells us to mourn, and we are on Christ’s side when we mourn,” Emerson said. “It is a sacred thing to mourn.”

When the vigil ended, some left in silence. Others stayed to pray.

Current former Wisconsin politicians offer condolences

On the floor of the U.S. House Tuesday night, Wisconsin representatives from both sides of the aisle held a moment of silence in honor of the lives lost in Madison. Rep. Mark Pocan, a Democrat from Madison, shared his condolences with those affected.

“I urge all my colleagues to think about what we can do to prevent us from having to stand here again in another moment of silence,” Pocan said. “We have to do better, and we have to turn these moments of silence into moments of action.”

At the State Capitol on Tuesday, 10 Republican electors gathered to cast Wisconsin’s 10 Electoral College votes for President Donald Trump in the 2024 election. Former Gov. Tommy Thompson, who was one of the electors, spoke to those gathered about the shooting, saying the school was “very close” to where he lived for 24 years.

“All of us as Republicans are very concerned, very saddened by what took place,” Thompson said. “My heart goes out to the parents, the teachers and especially the kids in that school … we are praying for them and wishing them the best.”

Candles and flowers left outside Abundant Life Christian School

Around 10 o’clock Tuesday morning, Megan Mojica and Kamila Reynolds were setting up candles outside the school. Both Madison-area school bus drivers said they wanted to show up to honor the lives lost and the many families affected by the shooting.

Mojica said her son encountered gun violence in a 2019 shooting at Waukesha South High, in which a police officer shot and wounded an 18-year-old student who had pointed a pellet gun.

“My son was the kid who had the gun in his face,” Mojica said. “So I know firsthand what it’s like to go through something like that.”

“Surround yourself with family and friends because in time you will be able to overcome,” she said she wanted to tell those affected by Monday’s events.

Reynolds said the events shocked her.

“(Madison) is a good city,” she said. “And for something like this to happen … it’s surprising.”

After lighting the candles and speaking to reporters, the two stepped aside to pray with a priest.

Middleton’s Blackhawk Church hosted Monday night

In the hours after the shooting Monday, staff at Blackhawk Church in Middleton made the decision to hold a last-minute evening prayer service.

They wanted to offer a “safe and sacred space” where people could gather for encouragement and prayer, executive pastor Craig Gartland said.

About 200 people attended the service, Gartland said, including many who are not regular churchgoers at Blackhawk.

“It’s important to be community and to offer community” to people who are anxious or afraid, Gartland said.

Blackhawk counts among its members more than 10 families with children at Abundant Life Christian School. Gartland said he was not aware of any members who had been injured or killed during the shooting.

On Tuesday night, the evangelical church, which sees about 4,000 people for Sunday services each week, is hosting a pre-scheduled “Blue Christmas” service for people experiencing holiday season grief. It will be even more poignant this year.