Police in Wisconsin say a 15-year-old girl opened fire at her school, killing three, including herself, and injuring six others. Natalie Rupnow, who went by Samantha, allegedly planned the mass shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison. Her motive remains unclear, but police confirmed Rupnow opened fire at the school on the morning of December 16, 2024, and a second grader called 911 for help.
According to a release from the City of Madison, police arrived at the school at 11 a.m., within three minutes of the call, and secured the area. At 11:05 a.m., officers confirmed Rupnow was down. Now investigators want to know why she opened fire on innocent people.
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The shooting reportedly occurred in a classroom of mixed-aged students.
Per the City of Madison, 911 received a call at 10:57 a.m. about a shooting inside the school. The shooter, later identified as Rupnow, reportedly used a handgun and opened fire on a classroom of various aged children during study hall. Police arrived on the scene in minutes to help.
The news release reads, “At 11:05, officers inside the school alerted people the shooter was down, and a gun was recovered. The Madison Police Department also began setting up its parent and guardian reunification center at 11:05. The Madison Fire Department was dispatched to the scene at the same time as police. They arrived on scene at 11:05 and began linking up with officers who were inside providing aid to victims.”
Her family reportedly cooperated with police from the beginning.
Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said during a news briefing after the shooting that Rupnow’s father and other family members helped with the investigation. Barnes declined to give many details but asked people to be kind to the family.
“He lost someone as well,” Barnes said of Rupnow’s dad. “And so we’re not going to rush the information. We’ll take our time and make sure we do our due diligence.”
Why the shooting occurred remains a mystery.
As news of the shooting broke online, many people condemned the shooter and the family. Barnes said he would not speculate on why the shooting happened, but he wants these types of tragedies to end. “I don’t know why, and I feel like if we did know why, we could stop these things from happening,” he explained during the news conference.
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Abundant Life Christian School shared a message of hope on Facebook.
The post reads, “All of our students have been united with their parents and we are grateful for all the support. We have been flooded with thoughts & prayers. This great nation is behind us. So grateful for the tsunami of prayers for our students, staff, & families.”
A supporter wrote, “Give a medal to the second grader who was so brave to make that call. I am still trying to process this tragedy but I am so proud of that child for doing such a brave thing to try and save others. Prayers and love to you all.”
“I will keep all of you affected by this in my thoughts and Prayers,” another commenter vowed. “This also includes the shooters family as well. As they also lost a loved one. Love from the state of Kansas.”
