The police in Wisconsin have disclosed that it was a second-grade student who was the first to call 911 to report a shooting incident that occurred at the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison on December 16, 2024. The tragic incident led to the killing of two persons, a teacher, and another student, while other six students got injured. The shooting, according to the reports, was carried out by a 15-year-old student, whom the authorities have disclosed to be named Natalie Rupnow, who also used the name, Samantha.
At approximately 10:57 AM local time, the young student, believed to be around seven or eight years old, dialed the emergency number to report the shooting, thus triggering an unprecedented response from law enforcement bodies. Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes while speaking to media said the situation is dire. He was quoted by BBC stating:
“Let that soak in for a minute”
Barnes was further quoted by USA Today saying:
“A second-grade student called 911 at 10:57 a.m. to report a shooting at school. It makes my heart skip a beat to think about that.”
Upon arrival at the scene just minutes later, officers found two victims deceased: a teenage student and a teacher. The shooter too was found dead from a bullet wound, according to CNN. Rupnow was identified as a student of the school and had used a handgun during the attack.
Wisconsin school shooting details
According to USA Today, among six individuals who were wounded in the shooting; two were in critical condition and have since improved. The rest of the injuries were considered non-critical in nature. It happened in the course of a study period in which students in different grades of the K–12 school were gathered, with an enrollment of about 390 students.
According to CNN, the police arrived quickly as they had been practicing nearby for a mass trauma response when the call came.
“They left the training center immediately and came down here – doing in real time what they were actually practicing for,” Barnes said.
Following the incident, law enforcement set up a reunification center for parents and students while bomb detection dogs were brought in to ensure safety within the school premises.
As of now, authorities have not found a specific reason behind Rupnow’s actions. A follow-up press briefing is expected with more details released.
President Joe Biden called the incident “shocking and unconscionable” and offered his condolences for this occurrence as well as called for passing more legislation control measures about the use and ownership of guns. The President was quoted by The Independent stating:
“We need Congress to act. Now... Jill and I are praying for all the victims today, including the teacher and teenage student who was killed and those who sustained injuries.”
Gun violence in the U.S.
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The problem of gun violence in the USA persists and remains one of the pressing issues. According to the Gun Violence Archive, as of December 2024, gun violence has taken the lives of over 11,600 people this year, which means an average of nearly 47 people per day. This figure involves many mass shootings which have been on the rise as more than 385 cases were reported in 2024 with 385 deaths and 1,679 injured. Nevertheless, mass shootings cover less than 2% of all firearms-related deaths in the United States.
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