The teenage girl behind the tragic shooting at a private Christian school in Madison, Wisconsin, on Monday has been identified. Police said Natalie "Samantha" Rupnow, a 15-year-old student at the K-12 Abundant Life Christian School, brought a handgun to the campus and began firing shortly after 11 a.m, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said.
Rupnow shot dead a student and a teacher, and wounded two other students who are in critical condition. The shooter was later found dead at the scene from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, as reported by CNN. In total, the incident resulted in the deaths of one teacher and one teenage student, with six others injured.
Senseless Violence
Among the wounded, two teens remain in critical condition, authorities confirmed. The suspected shooter was found by police with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. She succumbed to her injuries while being transported to a local hospital.
The shooting took place in a classroom during a study hall session attended by students from various grades. According to Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes, a second-grade student was the one who alerted authorities by calling 911.
At this time, authorities do not have any evidence suggesting that the shooter's parents were involved in any criminal activity, according to Barnes.
An alleged manifesto expressing radical and hateful views has been circulating online, with social media users claiming it was written by Rupnow. However, Barnes 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," he said, adding his department is working with the FBI to review some of the things written in the document.
The school, located in Madison, the state capital, has around 400 students.
Manifesto Surfaces
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.
"Whether or not she was, he was, they were transgender is something that may come out later, but for what we're doing right now, today, literally eight hours after a mass shooting in a school in Madison, it of no consequence at this time," he said.
Bethany Highman, whose daughter is a student at the school, recounted the fear she had until she was able to FaceTime her child and confirm her safety.
"As soon as it happened, your world stops for a minute. Nothing else matters,'' Highman said. "There's nobody around you.
"You just bolt for the door and try to do everything you can as a parent to be with your kids."
The school wrote on its Facebook page, "Prayers Requested! Today, we had an active shooter incident at ALCS.
"We are in the midst of following up. We will share information as we are able."
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.
The post has been retweeted more than 5,000 times.
