The nation is severely traumatized after yet another school shooting in Madison, Wisconsin. In recent years, school shootings in the United States have been increasing rapidly, leading to the loss of multiple innocent lives. On Monday, one such unfortunate incident occurred at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, where a teenage girl opened fire, injuring multiple students and causing the deaths of a student, teacher, and herself.
"Everyone was targeted in this incident, and everyone was put in equal danger." Madison Police Chief officer Shon Barnes stated in a press conference.
Currently, Madison police are investigating the case to determine the motive behind this shooting and to figure out how the teenager had access to the gun. Barnes further added:
"Identifying the motive is our top priority. But at this time, it appears that the motive was a combination of factors."
What do we know about the Wisconsin school shooting victims?
According to Wisconsin police reports, a teacher from Abundant Life Christian School called 911 on Monday morning to report gunfire.
A girl opened fire, killing herself, a fellow student, and a teacher. Upon reaching the scene, police recovered multiple gunshot victims. Among the victims, a teacher and another student died at the scene, and six other students, including a teacher, suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Two other students were severely injured and were taken to a nearby hospital. The police have not yet identified the victims but found the suspect, a teenage girl named Natalie Rupnow, who reportedly lost her life in a "self-inflicted wound" and died on the way to the hospital.
The Wisconsin police readily emptied the entire school following the shooting and transferred the students to a neighborhood health clinic, where they were reunited with their parents. The police later recovered the gun used in the shooting and identified it as a 9mm pistol.
According to Barnes, "There are always signs of a school shooting before it occurred."
The Wisconsin police are currently looking into Rupnow's online activity in order to find leads that might determine her motive. They are also urging people to contact the Madison Area Crime Stoppers if they knew Rupnow and might give insights into her state of mind.
The investigation led police to find disturbing posts on Rupnow's social media pages. Her posts featured violent memes and themes relating to revenge, death, and destruction. She was seen posting things like "The countdown has begun," and "They’ll know what I mean when the time comes," prior to the incident.
While police are investigating the case, an alleged document authored by Rupnow titled "War Against Humanity" has emerged. This alleged manifesto contains hate comments, grievances, and hatred towards society. Both of Rupnow's parents are cooperating with the police in the investigation.
Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway reflected upon this tragic incident:
"I am on record that I think we need to do better in our country and our community to prevent gun violence. And I hoped that this day would never come in Madison. It is not something that any mayor, any fire chief, any police chief, any person in public office ever wants to have to deal with."
People gathered for a vigil to mourn the loss of victims of the shooting
Numerous people gathered at a candlelight vigil on Tuesday evening to mourn the victims of the tragic school shooting. The vigil was conducted by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County and took place near the Wisconsin State Capitol, where local leaders as well as singers and speakers took center stage. A separate prayer service was also conducted at the City Church in Madison, where several teachers prayed aloud and gave speeches. Joe Gothard, the Madison Metropolitan School District superintendent, joined the candlelight vigil and explained the importance of unitedly standing with each other during such tough times.
"We need to connect like we are tonight, each and every day and make a commitment that we know we’re there for one another, hopefully to avoid preventable tragedies like yesterday,” he said.
In a recent statement, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers said:
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"It is unthinkable that a kid or an educator might wake up and go to school one morning and never come home. This should never happen, and I will never accept this as a foregone reality or stop working to change it."
He further ordered flags in the state to be flown below the top of their staff till December 22 to honor the victims who tragically lost their lives in the shooting.
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