A 15-year-old girl has opened fire in a small Christian school in the US state of Wisconsin, killing a teacher and another teenager.
The pupil wounded six others in Monday’s shooting at the Abundant Life Christian School, including two students who were in critical condition, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said.
A teacher and three students were taken to hospital with less serious injuries and two were later released.
“Every child, every person in that building is a victim and will be a victim forever. We need to figure out and try to piece together what exactly happened,” Mr Barnes said.
Police said the attacker, identified as Natalie Rupnow, was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound when officers arrived and died en route to hospital.
Mr Barnes declined to offer additional details about the girl, partly out of respect for the family.
Abundant Life is a non-denominational Christian school for pupils from nursery age up to high school, with about 420 students in Madison, the state capital.
Barbara Wiers, the school’s director of elementary and school relations, said when they practice safety routines, leaders always announce it is a drill. That did not happen on Monday, a week before the Christmas break.
“When they heard ‘Lockdown, lockdown’, they knew it was real,” she said.
Ms Wiers said the school does not have metal detectors but uses other security measures including cameras.
A motive for the shooting was not immediately known and it was not clear if the victims were targeted, Mr Barnes said.
“I don’t know why, and I feel like if we did know why, we could stop these things from happening,” he told reporters.
He said police were talking with the attacker’s father and other family members, who were co-operating, and searching the her home.
“He lost someone as well,” Mr Barnes said of the father. “And so we’re not going to rush the information. We’ll take our time and make sure we do our due diligence.”
The first 911 call to report an active attacker came in shortly before 11am. First responders who were training three miles away dashed to the school, and arrived three minutes after the initial call.
Investigators believe the attacker used a 9mm pistol, a law enforcement official told the Associated Press.
Police blocked off roads around the school, and federal agents were at the scene to assist local law enforcement. No shots were fired by police.
Children and families were reunited at a health clinic about a mile from the school.
Abundant Life asked for prayers in a brief Facebook post. Ms Wiers said officials are still deciding whether to resume classes this week.
Bethany Highman, the mother of a student, rushed to the school and learned over FaceTime that her daughter was OK.
“As soon as it happened, your world stops for a minute. Nothing else matters,” she said. “There’s nobody around you. You just bolt for the door and try to do everything you can as a parent to be with your kids.”
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.
— President Biden (@POTUS) December 16, 2024
In a statement, President Joe Biden cited the tragedy in calling on Congress to pass universal background checks, a national red flag law and certain gun restrictions.
“We can never accept senseless violence that traumatises children, their families, and tears entire communities apart,” he said.
He spoke with Wisconsin governor Tony Evers and Madison mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and offered his support.
Mr Evers said it is “unthinkable” that a child or teacher would go to school and never return home.
