Madison police, other agencies respond to school shooting

MADISON, Wis. — The Madison Police Department responded to a mass shooting at Abundant Life Christian School on Monday morning. 

Officers were dispatched to the school, which is located on the city's east side, at 10:57 a.m.

They arrived to find multiple people, both students and staff, injured. 

Three people, including the suspected shooter, are dead. The shooter has been identified as 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow, who went by Samantha. She was a student at the school, and evidence suggests she died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The official cause of death will be released by the Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office pending the conclusion of their thorough examination. Rupnow was pronounced dead on the way to the hospital. 

A teacher and a teenage student were pronounced dead at the school. 

Six other people were injured during the shooting and taken to area hospitals. Two students remain in critical condition and have life-threatening injuries. 

A teacher and three students were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Two of these people have been discharged from the hospital. The other two survivors are considered stable.

At this time, the Madison Police Department believes there was only one shooter involved. Detectives are still working to determine a motive. They have talked with her family members this evening and conducted a search of the shooter’s home in Madison.

The shooting happened inside a classroom in a study hall full of students from mixed grades. A document about this shooting is circulating online, but at this time we cannot verify its authenticity. 

Abundant Life Christian School is being monitored by police overnight. At this time, no one is allowed on school property.

Timeline of Events
A second grade student called 911 at 10:57 a.m. to report the shooting.

Officers were dispatched to the school at 10:57. A deputy with the Dane County Sheriff's Office was the first law enforcement on scene at 11:00. Twenty-four seconds later, the first Madison Police Department officer arrived at the scene at 11:01.

Officers entered the building as soon as they arrived on scene, not knowing what they would encounter.

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.

The first public notice about the shooting was posted on the Madison Police incident report website at 11:13.

Officers began clearing the school building at 11:14, and bomb dogs started searching the facility at 11:23.

The Madison Fire Department began transporting patients at 11:26. Again, we want to stress that EMS arrived on scene at 11:05 and immediately began linking up with officers to enter a scene with many unknowns. 

Press briefings occurred at 12:15 p.m., 2:30, 5:30 and 8:30.

Law Enforcement Partners
Multiple agencies assisted with the response to this school shooting. The Madison Fire Department and several other Dane County EMS agencies, Dane County Sheriff’s Office, University of Wisconsin Police Department, FBI and ATF all played a role in Monday’s response and investigation. The Madison Police Department wants to acknowledge UW Hospital and St. Mary’s for all their work in treating the survivors of Monday's shooting.

The Madison Police Department wants to thank the employees of the Dean Clinic on Stoughton Road. The clinic was closed for the day as a result of the shooting, and employees immediately began assisting with the reunification process.

Community Resources
There are resources available to anyone needing help or someone to talk to.
The Crime Response Unit with the Dane County District Attorney’s Office has been mobilized. This is a group of people who are trained in helping victims of mass violent incidents. The group is made up of social workers, attorneys, victim professionals, former law enforcement and others in our community.

If you need assistance, you can contact the Crime Response Program between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. at 608-284-6908. You can reach staff through an after-hours pager at 608-376-0164.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice's Office of School Safety and Office of Crime Victim Services are also providing resources. Their Critical Incident Response Team program is designed to minimize the psychological impact of a school critical incident and helps provide long-term mental health services after a critical incident. People are encouraged to contact their 24-hour resource center at 1-800-697-8761 or email them at schoolsafety@doj.state.wi.us.

Monday's shooting remains an ongoing investigation. More information will be released when available.