Wisconsin faculty taking pictures newest: Shooter who left instructor, classmate useless is recognized as 17-year-old feminine
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A teen student is believed to have opened fire at a private Christian school in Madison, Wisconsin, Monday morning, killing a classmate and a teacher, police say.
The suspected shooter was dead when police arrived, Madison Police Department Chief Shon Barnes said.
Unnamed law enforcement sources have described the alleged shooter in media reports as a 17-year-old female student at the school.
Six others were injured in the incident.
Two people are in critical condition with life-threatening injuries and four others have non-life-threatening injuries.
Police responded to reports of an active shooter at Abundant Life Christian School just before 11 a.m. on Monday.
Police recovered a handgun at the school.
The suspected shooter’s family is cooperating, the chief said. The motive is still being investigated and the alleged shooter’s cause of death has yet to be determined, Barnes said.
President Joe Biden has been briefed on the school shooting, the White House has said. Senior White House officials are in contact with officials in Madison to provide support as needed, according to the White House.
WATCH: Madison police chief addresses public
Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes is addressing the public with the latest information about today’s shooting.
“I cannot at this time formally tell you the age or gender or name of the shooter,” Barnes said, despite unconfirmed media reports the suspected shooter was a female student at the school. “We do not want to compromise any part of the investigation.”
Watch his full remarks here, via WMTV.
‘Not a drill… we heard popping…’
A Wisconsin father has described how he first heard about the shooting from his 14-year-old daughter 31 minutes before being informed by the school.
Rob Nelson, whose daughter Olive is in the ninth grade at Abundant Life Christian School, told The Washington Post that she texted him at 10:58am local time to say: “Not a drill… we heard popping.”
Oliva then described sitting in a corner of her classroom while the shooting went on outside, hearing shouts for an ambulance, and seeing police officers swarm the premises.
Nelson then received a text message from the school at 11:29am informing him of an “active shooter incident”, with a follow-up text instructing him to go to a medical clinic to be connected with his children.
“We’ve been packed into a small room in the basement here for the last several hours, basically with no information,” he said.
Madison school did not have school resource officer: police
Abundant Life Christian School did not have a school police officer or metal detectors on-site at the time of Monday’s shooting, according to local police.
“I’m not aware that the school has metal detectors, nor should schools have metal detectors,” Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes told reporters on Monday. “It’s a school, it’s a safe space.”
As The Independent has reported, school resource officers are a frequent topic of discussion after school shootings, but research hasn’t shown that they’re effective at stopping mass gun violence incidents.
Vigil planned at Wisconsin Capitol after shooting
A vigil is planned tomorrow for the victims of Monday’s school shooting in Madison.
The event will take place at the Wisconsin State Capitol.
“We are actively planning ways to provide support, including safe spaces for youth to process their feelings, sharing mental health resources, and collaborating with community partners to address community needs,” Michael Johnson of the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County wrote on Facebook.
‘It’s just a shame’: Milwaukee Bucks coach on Madison shooting
Doc Rivers, head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks NBA team, is the latest community leader to weigh in on the Madison shooting.
“It’s just a shame that this keeps happening, that kids can’t go to school safe and it seems like we don’t do anything about it,” Rivers told reporters on Monday. “I’m not going to get up on the podium and give a long speech, except for it’s just bad, and we’re thinking about ‘em.”
Madison shooting is 83rd of 2024, setting record for last two decades
The shooting on Monday in Madison, Wisconsin, is the 83rd school shooting this year.
Community reacts to Madison shooting
Community members are in shock in Madison, Wisconsin, after a shooting at a Christian school left three people dead, included the suspected shooter, and six people injured.
“I didn’t want to believe it. First I thought it was an accident,” Gary Herrmann, who lives nearby, told WMTV. “And then when I heard shooter, that’s when it really hit me.”
“Your world stops for a minute. Nothing else matters,” Bethany Highman, whose daughter goes to Abundant Life Christian School, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “We’re just waiting, praying.”
Shooting is Madison’s second in seven months
The incident today in Madison is the area’s second major mass shooting in seven months.
This summer, 12 people were wounded in a shooting at a rooftop party.
What to know about the Abundant Life Christian School shooting
Authorities in Madison, Wisconsin are reporting at least five dead and multiple injured at a K-12 private school.
The shooting occurred at the Abundant Life Christian School around 11 a.m. Monday. The shooter, who is believed to have been a student at the school, is among the dead, according to Madison police. Police said the school has been cleared and there is no further threat.
A nearby high school, a middle school, and an elementary school were locked down in the midst of the Abundant Life shooting.
Chief Shon Barnes of the Madison PD called it a “sad, sad day.”
Read the full story.
Suspected shooter used a handgun, police say
Someone from the school called 911 to report an active shooter, Chief Barnes said.
A handgun was recovered from the scene, he said.
It’s unclear how many students attend the school but each age group is separated by floor, the police chief said.
Source: independent.co.uk
