At least five were killed and multiple others are injured after a gunman opened fire inside a Christian private K-12 school. The incident occurred on Monday at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison. Reports indicate that five people have been confirmed dead, and at least five others are injured.
Local sources suggest that the gunman may have taken his own life, although it is unclear if he is one of the fatalities. According to local reports and the police, the gunman entered the school and began shooting. A large police force has been deployed outside the school in Dane County. The school has students ranging from kindergarten through 12th grade.
School Tragedy
Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes stated that at around 10:57 a.m., officers responded to reports of an active shooter. "When officers arrived, they found multiple victims suffering from gunshot wounds," he said.
The shooting left five people dead, and five others, including children, were taken to nearby hospitals.
Barnes said that police found a juvenile they believe was responsible for the deaths inside the building. It is suspected that the gunman was a student at the school. "Today is a sad, sad, day,' Barnes said. 'Not just for Madison but for our entire country."
Barnes also said that officers did not fire any shots while responding to the incident at the school.
The police have not revealed any further details about the victims until their next of kin have been notified.
"I'm not going to give any information about who the victims are, whether they're students, staff or parents, because we need to make sure that we can notify people," Barnes said.
Gunman Started Firing Randomly
According to local reports, the gunman entered the school and began shooting randomly. It is unclear whether the victims are students, staff, or both. A heavy police presence is currently stationed outside the school in Dane County, which serves about 390 students from kindergarten through 12th grade.
"This remains an active and ongoing investigation," Madison police said in a statement.
The SSM Health/Dean Clinic on Stoughton Road has been designated as the reunification site, as reported by WMTV.
Barnes mentioned that first responders were at a nearby training facility when the shooting took place.
"They left the training center immediately and came down here — and doing in real time what they were actually practicing for," he said.
Governor Tony Evers said on X: "I am closely monitoring the incident at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison."
"We are praying for the kids, educators, and entire Abundant Life school community as we await more information and are grateful for the first responders who are working quickly to respond."
