Police are looking for clues about a motive after a school shooting in Wisconsin

On December 18, 2024By Littum

MADISON, Wis. — Identifying a motive in the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School remained the “top priority” for law enforcement in Madison as residents gathered for vigils to honor a teacher and a student killed in the attack, as well as several who were wounded.

Police say Natalie Rupnow, 15, opened fire under a study hall at the private Christian school, striking several people in a classroom. Rupnow died on the way to a hospital from a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said, noting that the medical examiner has not yet released the official cause of death.

Investigators analyzed the gun found at the scene, as well as the suspect’s electronic devices, social media accounts and alleged writings circulating online, Barnes said. He said detectives were interviewing relatives and friends of the suspect to determine whether bullying was one of “several factors” that motivated the shooting.

Officials also said it’s too early to say where the suspect got the weapon, as well as whether Rupnow’s parents could face charges.

Two students were in critical condition Tuesday afternoon, Barnes said. Three other students and a teacher suffered non-life threatening injuries.

Abundant Life Christian School victims honored in vigil

Across Madison, churches and vigils have been filled with people grieving and processing the city’s second school shooting in less than a year. On Tuesday night, 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 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, part of the USA TODAY Network, “it’s hard to fathom the shock” of what happened.

“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.”

Contributors: Sophie Carson, Claire Reid, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; Minnah Arshad, USA TODAY