Authorities have identified the shooter involved in the tragic incident at a Madison, Wisconsin school as 15-year-old Natalie "Samantha" Rupnow. Rupnow, a student at Abundant Life Christian School, opened fire in a study hall on Monday, killing a teacher and a student, and injuring six others, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said.
The shooter, who went by the name, Samantha, had been at the school since the start of the day. After the shooting, she was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was pronounced dead while she was being transported to a local hospital. Barnes said that a second-grade student called 911 to report the shooting at the school.
Dead on the Way
When cops arrived at the scene, Rupnow was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. She was alive and was immediately lifted in an ambulance to be transported to the hospital. However, Rupnow succumbed to her injuries midway and was pronounced dead at the hospital.
At the time of the incident, the study hall had students from various grade levels.
It has not been confirmed whether Rupnow's family, who are cooperating with the investigation, owned any firearms. Authorities are looking into anything she may have left behind.
Barnes said that investigators are currently in contact with the shooter's father at one of their facilities, and he is cooperating. He also stressed that there is no indication that the family will face any criminal charges.
"He lost someone as well. And so we're not going to rush the information, we'll take our time and certainly do our due diligence," Barnes said.
He added that he was unaware of any prior interactions with Rupnow, saying, "I think if there were, we certainly would have had some type of intervention, but I'm not aware of that."
The bloodbath resulted in three fatalities - one student, one teacher and the shooter - and six others were transported to area hospitals just days before Christmas break. Two survivors have since been released from the hospital, while two students remain in critical condition with injuries described as life-threatening.
Shooter's Manifesto Spreads Online
Just hours before Rupnow was named as the suspect in Monday's mass shooting in Madison, a social media user claimed to have spoken with the 15-year-old's alleged boyfriend.
The social media user, identified as @Slatzism, said that they had a conversation with Rupnow's supposed boyfriend, who allegedly shared a manifesto. Authorities are currently working to verify the authenticity of the document and the claims surrounding it.
"He has very graciously provided me the full manifesto, which I verified by having him screen record himself opening it from a direct link the shooter sent to him via WhatsApp. I told him I would do my best to dispel some of the misinformation and present things as truthfully as I was given them, and I will hold myself to that," the user said on X.
Slatzism clarified that the person claimed to be Rupnow's boyfriend knew her by the name Samantha, not Natalie. The manifesto attributed to her was titled "War Against Humanity."
"In her manifesto, she spoke about having extremely difficult relationship with her parents. She also claims her family didn't love her or want her, and expresses feeling like the "wrong child" of her family. She says she had planned to commit suicide a long time ago, but felt committing a shooting was "better for evolution rather than just one stupid boring suicide," the tweet read.
However, cops said that they have not yet verified the authenticity of the document.
Natalie 'Samantha' Rupnow
