The teenager who killed two and wounded six in a school shooting has been seen practicing shooting at a shooting range in a chilling photo – while wearing a T-shirt associated with the Columbine killers.
Natalie Rupnow, 15, turned the gun on herself after killing a teacher and a student at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, on Monday.
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Natalie Rupnow pictured with a gun on her father’s social media Credit: Facebook/Jeff Rupnow
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Rupnow, 15, killed a fellow student and teacher before turning the gun on herselfCredit: Facebook/Jeff Rupnow
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SWAT officers blew out the door of the house as part of their investigation Credit: WISN
Officers are now investigating an alleged manifesto Rupnow shared online before storming into the Christian school with a 9mm handgun and shooting children and teachers.
At a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said they could not verify the authenticity of the manifest at this time and said detectives were still working to determine where it came from.
“Please do not share the document or spread any information that may be false,” he said.
Rupnow’s motive remains a mystery, but officers said she was having problems at home and at school.
Her parents are cooperating with the investigation, Chief Barnes said.
At a news conference Tuesday, Barnes said the motive appeared to be a “combination of factors” and said they were looking into whether “bullying” at the school was one of them.
He added that several false threats or “swatting” incidents have occurred in the past 24 hours.
A chilling photo shared by Rupnow’s father shows her at a shooting range earlier this year.
In a picture posted by Jeff Rupnow in August, the teenager is aiming a rifle while wearing a black T-shirt promoting the band KMFDM.
Eric Harris, one of the two Columbine school shooters, was seen wearing a similar KMFDM T-shirt before the 1999 massacre that killed 13 people.
Under the photo of his daughter holding a rifle, Jeff Rupnow responded to a friend’s comment asking if his daughter was in the picture.
The moment the attacker stops to wake up and kill the mum in a horror ride shooting as the terrified worshipers flee
Confirming that he did, Jeff wrote: “Joined NBSC (North Bristol Rifle Club) this spring and enjoyed every second of it.”
NBSC is a gun club in suburban Madison that offers a $90 annual family membership fee, according to its website.
Jeff Rupnow has shared a number of photos of his daughter on social media in recent years.
One picture shows the child smiling while posing with her dogs, while another shows her participating in a karate competition.
Emergency crews were called to the school just before 11 a.m. local time on Monday, December 16 for reports of a shooting.
What we know…
- A student shot two people and wounded six others at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin on Monday before turning herself on.
- The killer has been named as Natalie Rupnow, a 15-year-old girl who attended the school.
- Police have yet to reveal her motive, but they believe she was having difficulties at school and at home.
- Officers are investigating an alleged “manifesto” she shared online shortly before the shooting.
- The chilling image shows Rupnow at the shooting range earlier this year wearing a T-shirt linked to the 1999 Columbine massacre.
- A Sandy Hook survivor condemned the violence in an interview with The US Sun after another tragic school shooting.
Authorities say they found two dead students — including Rupnow — along with a teacher in a classroom at the school.
Six others were injured – two of them critically – and were rushed to nearby hospitals.
A second-grade teacher called 911 at 10:57 a.m. to report the shooting, according to police.
Abundant Life Christian School’s recording schedule
On December 16, a student at Abundant Life Christian School opened fire on a private K-12 school in Madison, Wisconsin. Below is a timeline of the events that took place:
10:57 – A second grader calls 911 to report a shooting
11:00 – Police officers arrived at the scene and immediately entered the school
11:05 – Police found the shooter and returned the gun
11:14 – The cleaning of the school has started
11:20 a.m. – A public safety alert is sent to nearby phones
23:38 – Police in Madison confirmed that several people were injured
12:15 – Police officers hold a press conference and confirm that three people are dead, including the shooter, and that at least six more are injured
12:38 – Abundant Life Christian School is asking for prayers on Facebook
14:30 – At another press conference, police officers confirmed that the shooter was a teenager who attended the school
20:30 – Police confirmed that the shooter was student Natalie Rupnow, 15, who died while being transported to the hospital
COLUMBINE LINK
Officers are still piecing together a picture of the suspected killer as they try to find a motive for the shooting.
Female shooters carry out less than one in 20 school shootings in the US.
According to a Washington Post study, only nine female students have shot up schools since Columbine.
KMFDM is an industrial rock band adored by Columbine killers Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold.
A website belonging to Harris featured lyrics by the band and speeches by Adolf Hitler.
At the time, the group released a statement condemning neo-Nazism and the shooting.
Madison police are still investigating whether Rupnow’s parents owned the gun used in the shooting.
The attack marks the 83rd school shooting in the US this year, surpassing the number for 2023.
That means 2024 has seen the highest single number of school shootings since 2008, when CNN began tracking them.
DRAMATIC RAID
Officers searched a home in Madison in connection with a shooting Monday afternoon.
Witnesses described hearing a sound like a “bomb exploding” as the special forces forcefully removed the front door from its hinges.
Tactical teams with guns drawn surrounded the house around 1pm local time in chaotic scenes.
A security perimeter with caution tape has been set up around the home, local ABC affiliate WISN reports.
Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway spoke at a news conference Tuesday, calling Monday’s shooting a “horrific and traumatic event.”
She called on the public to “avoid the spread of misinformation” and added that “there is so much we don’t know at the moment.
A vigil for the victims will be held tonight in Madison at 6pm local time.
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Two dead in shooting at Christian school in Madison, WisconsinCredit: EPA
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Abundant Life Christian School was closed on Monday morningCredit: Getty
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Ambulances were broken down as parents anxiously awaited news Credit: AP
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Source: HIS Education