Police are investigating the online trail of the suspected shooting of 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow — who went by the name Samantha — at Abundant Life Christian School as they piece together the course of events that left three people dead, including Rupnow.
Meanwhile, numerous schools in the Madison Metropolitan School District were “frequently targeted by false threats known as hit-and-runs” on Tuesday, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes told reporters at a news conference.
Police are investigating, Barnes said, adding that authorities do not believe there is a current threat. “Making false threats is a crime, and we are working with the district attorney,” he said.
Barnes said police are still working to determine a motive for Monday’s fatal shooting, suggesting multiple factors were involved.
Police are speaking with the students to determine if the harassment is such, he said. “Everyone was targeted in this incident and everyone was put at equal risk,” Barnes added.
Barnes said police are also investigating Rupnow’s online activity. The police chief asked anyone who recognized him or had knowledge of his whereabouts to call Madison Area Crime Stoppers at 608-266-6014.
Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes speaks during a press conference on December 17, 2024 in Madison, Wisconsin.
Nam Y.huh/AP
A teacher and a student were killed in Monday morning’s shooting inside a classroom in a “study hall full of students from multiple grades.”
Two other students remain in critical condition with life-threatening injuries. Three students and one teacher suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Rupnow died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound before police arrived, police said. The officers did not fire a weapon.
Rupnow’s parents are cooperating with the investigation, Barnes told ABC News on Tuesday.
“They were cooperative. Despite this tragedy, they still lost a child. They still lost a family member,” Barnes said.
“It’s safe to say that they probably have more questions than anyone because they knew,” he said. “They lived with him and so we wanted to get an account from them of what kind of kid he was.”
His father is being questioned by investigators, Barnes said. He said that he does not know if the mother was interrogated, pointing out that she has been out of town.
Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway speaks at a news conference on December 17, 2024 in Madison, Wisconsin.
Nam Y.huh/AP
A candlelight vigil was held Tuesday night in the state capital for the victims of the shooting.
“Yesterday, the community of Madison experienced a terrible and traumatic event,” Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said at the vigil. “We will never be the same, but we will get through this. And we will get through this together by trusting each other and taking care of each other.”
The victims have not been publicly identified. Rhodes-Conway told reporters at the press conference that they are respecting the privacy of the victims’ families and will “share what we can and not before.”
“Let them grieve. Let them accept. Let them heal,” he said.
Pre-K through 12th grade students attend a Christian school.
“I was in the hallway, and I was changing from my shoes to my boots to go to lunch because I have recess, but then I heard gunshots and screams,” a second-grade girl told Chicago ABC station WLS.
Police tape is seen outside Abundant Life Christian School on December 17, 2024 in Madison, Wisconsin.
Morris Gash/AP
James Smith told ABC News that his 17-year-old daughter was in physics class at the time the shots were fired outside the two classrooms. He was not hurt.
Smith said Abundant Life Christian School welcomes students who may be bullied at other schools.
“We, as a school, want to help those who have problems, to be able to offer a safe space to grow, and at the same time a balance in a safe space for our students,” he said.
Smith also said the school’s population grew dramatically after the pandemic as many parents sought an alternative to public schools.
In the wake of Monday’s shooting, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are urging elected officials to address gun violence.
In a statement, Biden called the shooting “shocking and senseless” and cited his administration’s efforts to combat the gun violence epidemic in the United States, including the establishment of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention.
Biden has called on Congress to pass “common sense” gun safety laws, including universal background checks, a national red flag law and a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
A person walks past flowers and candles outside Abundant Life Christian School on December 17, 2024 in Madison, Wisconsin.
Nam Y.huh/AP
“It is unacceptable that we cannot protect our children from this scourge of gun violence,” Biden said, “We cannot continue to take it for granted.”
“This is another school shooting, another community torn and divided by gun violence,” Vice President Kamala Harris said in a statement Tuesday. “And of course our nation mourns the dead, and we pray for those who are injured and the entire community.”
Harris, who has been involved in the Biden administration’s efforts to combat gun violence, stressed, “We must renew our commitment as a nation to end the horrors of gun violence, both mass shootings and the everyday gun violence that touches so many communities across our nation. .”
“We need to finish, and we need to make the commitment to have the courage to know that the solutions are at hand, but we need the elected officials to have the courage to step forward and do the right thing,” he said.
ABC News’ Alex Perez, Briana Stewart and Molly Nagle contributed to this report.
