MADISON, Wisconsin, USA (AP) — A student shot and killed a teacher and another student on Monday at a private Christian school in Wisconsin, in the last week before the Christmas break. The assailant also died, the police reported.
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The assailant also injured other people at Abundant Life Christian School, including two students who were hospitalized in critical condition, said Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes.
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"I feel devastated, so close to Christmas," Barnes said. "Every child, every person in that building is a victim and will be a victim forever... We need to find out and try to reconstruct exactly what happened."
How did the incident at Madison school happen?
The attacker was a 15-year-old student at the school, and was identified as Natalie Rupnow. When she was found she had a self-inflicted wound and died on the way to a hospital.
Abundant Life is a non-denominational Christian school in Madison, the state capital, with approximately 390 students ranging from kindergarten to high school.
After the shooting, the students were taken to the neighboring church, from where they were transported by buses to another location to meet with their families.
At the moment, the motive for the shooting is unknown, he added.
A second-grader from the school called 911 to report the presence of an active shooter, Barnes recounted. Emergency personnel who were in training just 5 kilometers (3 miles) away from the school rushed to the scene to address the situation, Barnes indicated.
"I am not aware that the school had metal detectors or should have them. It is a safe space," Barnes said.
The White House stated in a press release that President Joe Biden has been briefed on the shooting and that officials were in contact with local authorities to provide support.
"As a father, grandfather, and as governor, it is unthinkable that a child or an educator could wake up and go to school one morning and never return home," said Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers. "This should never happen, and I will never accept it as an inevitable reality or stop working to change it."
School shootings in the United States
In recent years, dozens of school shootings have been recorded in the United States, including some particularly deadly ones in Newtown, Connecticut; Parkland, Florida; and Uvalde, Texas.
The shootings have sparked heated debates about gun control and have frayed the nerves of parents whose children are used to conducting active shooter drills in their classrooms. However, school shootings have done little to change national gun laws.
Firearms were the leading cause of death among children in 2020 and 2021, according to KFF, a non-profit organization that researches healthcare issues.
** This news was updated with the name and age of the aggressor. A previous version reported that the aggressor was 17 years old**