Natalie Rupnow, 15, identified as Wisconsin school shooter: Latest updates

Father Kellen Lewis believes Abundant Life Christian School prepared students and faculty well for the unwanted, but unfortunately common, threat of a school shooting.

Many of the school’s doors were locked, and students were instructed to move to the corners of classrooms. “They had a strategy, and that strategy probably helped save some lives,” Mr. Lewis told The New York Times.

Sixth-grader Adler Jean-Charles explained the horror from inside the K-12 school in Madison as gunshots began ringing out.

“We heard them. And some people started crying. And then we just waited until the police came and they escorted us out to the church,” he told ABC 7. “I was scared and [thinking], ‘Why did they do that? Why?’”

He continued: “I was in English and they said it was a lockdown drill, so we went to the side of the building and we went to the church after they came and got us.

“They gave us some food and then waited for them to transport us to the hospital and get our moms and dads.”

Jean-Charles’ mother, Mireille, fought back tears as she explained the impact on both her son and herself.

“Thank God they were safe,” she said.

“But the trauma. It’s a lot, as I’m sure they lost friends and teachers, which is not OK. I don’t think they will be OK for a long time, and I’m not.”

President Joe Biden has called for Congress to act “now” in the immediate aftermath of the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School.

In a statement issued by the White House on Monday, Biden said: “Today, families in Madison, Wisconsin, are grieving the loss of those who were killed and wounded at Abundant Life Christian School. It’s shocking and unconscionable. We need Congress to act. Now.”

The president said the both he and First Lady Jill Biden are lamenting the loss of the shooting victims, while his team has reached out to local officials to offer support.

“Jill and I are praying for all the victims today, including the teacher and teenage student who were killed and those who sustained injuries. We are grateful for the first responders who quickly arrived on the scene, and the FBI is supporting local law enforcement efforts. At my direction, my team has reached out to local officials to offer further support as needed.”

Biden said that Congress must pass “commonsense” gun safety laws which include universal background checks, a “national red flag law,” and a “ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines”.

Police have identified 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow as the shooter who killed two people and died on Monday in a shooting at a Madison, Wisconsin, Christian school.

Madison police do not appear to have previously interacted with shooter Natalie Rupnow before Monday’s incident, according to officials.

“To my knowledge, I’m not aware we’ve had any issues with her,” Chief Shon Barnes said during a Monday press conference. “If there were, we certainly would’ve had some type of intervention, but I’m not aware of that.”

He added department intelligence analysts will be looking through records to definitely ascertain whether police had past contact with Rupnow.

Police are said to have detonated stun grenades in a property eight miles away from the Abundant Life Christian School on Monday afternoon as their investigation into the shooting continues, according to neighbors.

Videos show a home in the north of Madison, which has its door removed and windows damaged, decorated with Christmas lights and cordoned off with police tape, WTMJ reported.

It is not clear if it is the home of the suspected school shooter.

Local residents say they saw police throw flash bangs into the property after investigators arrived in the early afternoon on Monday and were going in and out of the residence until night fell. The non-lethal explosive device are used to disorient or distract enemies in close-quarters combat.

“I heard the news this afternoon and thought, well, we’ll just drive by the main drag, and there it was,” one neighbor told the news outlet. “The front door was taken off and nobody was around, and the detectives are in there mopping up the mess.”

Classes will continue on Tuesday for schools in the Madison Metropolitan School District, according to WISC-TV.

It follows a lift on several district schools being put on secure hold on Monday.

The Madison Metropolitan School District is the second largest school district in Wisconsin and serves over 25,000 students in 52 schools, according to its website.

Madison, Wisconsin, police are expected to provide a public update on the investigation into a mass shooting on Monday that injured six and left three people dead, including the shooter.

The press conference is slated for 1 p.m. local time.

Key pieces of information about the shooting are not yet public, including the names of the victims.