Combination of factors led teenage girl to go on shooting spree, say police
17 December 2024, 22:24
Natalie Rupnow, 15, killed a teacher and a student at a school in Madison, Wisconsin, before shooting herself.
The motive for a shooting that killed a teacher and a student and wounded others at a Wisconsin school appears to be a “combination of factors,” a police chief said on Tuesday.
Madison police chief Shon Barnes appealed to the public to share what they might know about the 15-year-old girl who attacked a study hall before shooting herself.
Mr Barnes offered no details about a possible motive, though he said bullying at Abundant Life Christian School would be investigated.
Mr Barnes said police are investigating writings that may have been penned by the attacker, Natalie Rupnow, and could shed light on her actions.
“Identifying a motive is our top priority, but at this time it appears that the motive is a combination of factors,” the chief told reporters.
Mr Barnes gave the number to a tip-off line for anyone who might have known Rupnow and what her feelings were.
“There are always signs of a school shooting before it occurred. We’re looking into her online activity,” he said.
Besides the deaths, six people were wounded, including two students who remain in critical condition. Rupnow died of a self-inflicted gunshot.
Mr Barnes made remarks at a news conference but left without taking questions from reporters, leaving the Madison mayor and Dane County executive to face the media. They declined to disclose the names of the victims.
Abundant Life is a non-denominational Christian school – pre-kindergarten through high school – with approximately 420 students in Madison, the state capital.
Mackenzie Truitt, 24, placed a red poinsettia plant at the school to honour the victims on Tuesday. She said her brother is a graduate and some of his friends were wounded.
“My heart sunk because I know how awesome a lot of these kids are,” Truitt said. “I know how scared everybody was. Couldn’t get a hold of certain people. Just really scary having to deal with that.”
Mr Barnes said police were talking with Rupnow’s father and other family members, who were co-operating, and searching her home.
Investigators believe Rupnow used a 9mm pistol, a law enforcement official told the Associated Press. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the ongoing investigation.
The school shooting was the latest among dozens across the US in recent years, including especially deadly ones in Newtown, Connecticut; Parkland, Florida; and Uvalde, Texas.
The shootings have set off fervent debates about gun control and frayed the nerves of parents whose children are growing up accustomed to doing active shooter drills in their classrooms.
But school shootings have done little to move the needle on national gun laws.
Firearms were the leading cause of death among children in 2020 and 2021, according to KFF, a non-profit that researches health care issues.
