Teacher and student killed in school shooting in Wisconsin, as 'teen girl suspect' also dies, with six more injured

16 December 2024, 18:43 | Updated: 17 December 2024, 01:02

A teacher and a student have died in a school shooting in the US state of Wisconsin, as well as a teenage girl suspected of carrying out the attack.

The attack took place at the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, the capital of the Midwestern state, on Monday.

Six other people have been injured, with their conditions ranging from critical to minor. Police originally said that five had been killed, but later corrected the error.

Shon Barnes, chief of Madison Police, said: "Officers found multiple victims with gunshot wounds when they arrived at the scene.

"Officers located a juvenile, who they believed was responsible for this, deceased in the building."

Law enforcement sources told the Associated Press that the suspected shooter was a female student aged 17. This has not been confirmed publicly.

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The suspect is believed to have been a student at the school.

Police arrived on the scene at around 11am local time (5pm UK time). The school is near a police training centre.

Officers did not fire their weapons during the incident.

The school has about 390 students, from nursery to secondary school, according to its website.

Mr Barnes added: "I'm feeling a little dismayed now, so close to Christmas.

"Every child, every person in that building is a victim, and will be a victim forever. These types of trauma don't just go away.

"My heart is heavy for Madison and we have to come together as a community and find out what happened here and make sure it doesn't happen in any other place that should be a refuge for students in our community."

Wisconsin governor Tony Evers said: “We are praying for the kids, educators, and entire Abundant Life school community as we await more information and are grateful for the first responders who are working quickly to respond".

Officers added in a statement: "This remains an active and ongoing investigation.

"More information will be released as it is available. We currently need people to avoid the area."

Joe Biden has been informed of the situation.

Madison is a city of around 280,000 people. It is about 150 miles north-west of Chicago. Abundant Life Christian School is on the east side of the city.