Officials identified the shooter involved in the tragic Wisconsin school shooting on Monday night. Natalie "Samantha" Rupnow, 15, shot dead a student and a teacher at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison shortly before 11 a.m. on Monday before turning the gun on herself.
A document, believed to be Rupnow's manifesto, has been circulating on social media. However, police said that its authenticity has not yet been verified. Two people are in critical condition in the hospital following the attack. Rupnow, who succumbed to a self-inflicted gunshot wound while being transported to the hospital, carried out the shooting during a study hall attended by students from multiple grades, police said.
Manifesto Surfaces
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 police have not yet verified the authenticity of the document.
"We haven't been able to verify that it's authentic, we're certainly aware that it's been posted," Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said, adding his department is working with the FBI to review some of the things written in the document.
Horror Inside Study Hall
The shooting took place in a classroom during a study hall session attended by students from various grades. According to Barnes, a second-grade student was the one who alerted authorities by calling 911.
Police reached the scene within three minutes, Barnes said. Investigators are still working to uncover a motive for the attack and have been questioning the shooter's father as part of the ongoing investigation.
At this time, authorities do not have any evidence suggesting that the shooter's parents were involved in any criminal activity, according to Barnes.
The school, located in Madison, the state capital, has around 400 students.
Barnes raised concerns about how Rupnow managed to obtain the firearm used in the tragic school shooting. "Every child, every person in that building is a victim and will be a victim forever. ... We need to figure out and try to piece together what exactly happened," Barnes said.
Barnes responded to online speculation suggesting the shooter was transgender, stressing in response to a question that the shooter's identity was not relevant to the investigation.
