Teenage girl kills 2 in Wisconsin school shooting
15-year-old Natalie Rupnow fatally shot a teacher and student at Abundant Life Christian School


What happened
A 15-year-old female student fatally shot a teacher and teenage student Monday at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, and wounded six others, police said. The shooter, identified as Natalie Rupnow, was pronounced dead on the way to the hospital, and "evidence suggests that she died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound," Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said at a news conference.
Who said what
Rupnow, who also went by Samantha, opened fire during a mixed-grade study hall in the small K-12 private school, and it was a second grader who called 911 to report the shooting, Barnes said, adding: "I want to let that soak in for a minute." Two of the six surviving victims were hospitalized in critical condition with life-threatening injuries, he said. But "every child, every person in that building is a victim and will be a victim forever." Police were still trying to nail down a motive.
School shootings have become a "macabre routine in the United States," Reuters said, though Monday's "rampage was a rarity in that it was carried about by a girl." Such 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," The Associated Press said, but they have "done little to move the needle on national gun laws." President Joe Biden called the shooting "shocking and unconscionable" and said: "We need Congress to act. Now."
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What next?
Barnes said the shooter's family was cooperating with police and he would provide more information this afternoon. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) ordered U.S. and Wisconsin flags flown at half-staff through Dec. 22.
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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
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