by Admin
Dec 17, 2024
Tragedy struck Madison County in Wisconsin on Monday morning when a 15-year-old teenage girl opened fire on her colleagues and killed a teacher and a student while injuring six others.
Confirming the incident, the Madison police authority said they responded to the mass shooting at the private school located at 4901 E. Buckeye Road on the east side of Madison County.
Shon F. Barnes, the Madison Police Chief, disclosed that a second-grade student called 911 at 10:57 a.m. to report the shooting in the school.
He further revealed that the shooter’s 15-year-old girl Natalie Rupnow, who is also a student at the school and a resident of Madison was further regarded by the name Samantha by her peers.
Barnes said that the Rupnow carried out the shooting inside a classroom and study hall occupied by students of various grades, shot sporadically, and killed a teacher and a student while injuring five other students and a teacher.
Barnes clarified that his officers found Runpnow at the scene having shot herself, and officers fired no shots. Police disclosed that the suspect used a 9 mm pistol, and police are investigating to trace the gun.
Rupnow was pronounced dead while being transported to the hospital, she died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the moment she was shooting sporadically a bullet ricocheted and hit her in the torso.
Madison chief police expressed his grief, he said, “Right now, my heart is heavy for my community, my heart is heavy for Madison, and we have to come together as a community and figure out what happened here and make sure that it doesn’t happen at any other place that should be a refuge for students in our community.”
“Our detectives are working hard in the investigative process to find out as many answers as we can so that we can further prevent these things from happening—not only in this community but in other communities around our country,” Barnes said.
“There’s a woman who called in sick today. She’s a teacher. And there was a substitute that came in to take her place that was shot and killed,” these are the words of Pastor Chris Dolson, who conducted the vigil held in honor of the victims of the mass shooting, he explained that the slain teacher was a substitute for a teacher who called in sick and she was contacted to stand in for the sick teacher.
Dolson said. “Survivor guilt kicks in when those things happen.”
The identity of the slain teacher and student is yet to be confirmed, whereas the surviving teacher and three other students were treated for non-life-threatening injuries, two of those victims have been released, while the other two have been stabilized.
However, Barbara Weirs, school director of elementary and school relations disclosed that the school does not possess metal detectors, but is adherent to safety protocols.