Wisconsin shooting latest: Natalie Rupnow, 15, identified as Abundant Life Christian School shooter

Following her attack on the Abundant Life Christian School in Wisconsin, Natalie Rupnow has joined a rare subset of school shooters: women.

The 15-year-old, who died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound on Monday morning, is one of the few female perpetrators of school shootings in recent decades after a teacher and student were gunned down in the attack on the Madison school.

Gunmen commit the overwhelming majority of such attacks and, including the Madison shooting, just nine female students have carried out a school shooting since 1999, according to a Washington Post database.

Josh Marcus and James Liddell have the story.

A terrified little boy has revealed the horror that unfolded inside his Wisconsin school when a teenage student opened fire, killing a teacher and another student before turning the gun on herself.

Officers were called to an active shooting situation at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison just before 11 a.m. Monday morning after a second-grade student called 911, Madison Police Department Chief Shon Barnes said.

Police said the shooter, identified as 15-year-old student Natalie Rupnow, had opened fire on staff and students with a handgun, killing a teacher and a student.

James Liddell has the full story.

Madison Police Department Chief Shon Barnes described the key timings of the attack and police response at Abundant Life Christian School in a news conference on Monday:

10:57 a.m: Second-grade student dials 911 to report the shooting

11 a.m: Dane County Sheriff’s Office deputy first officer on scene with the first Madison police officer arriving moments later. Officers entered the school as they arrived.

11:05 a.m: Shooter is down and a gun has been recovered, police said. Fire department personnel arrive and help casualties.

11:14 a.m: School building begins being cleared.

11:23 a.m: Bomb dogs are deployed to clear school.

11:26 a.m: Casualties being treated on school grounds begin being transported to hospitals.

12:15 p.m: First news briefing was held.

Madison police are looking into a possible “manifesto” circulating online that may be connected to slain school shooter Natalie Rupnow, Chief Shon Barnes said Tuesday.

“We have been made aware of a manifesto, if you want to call it that, or some type of letter that’s been posted by someone who alleged to be her friend,” he told CNN.

“We haven’t been able to locate that person yet, but that’s something we’re going to work on today.”

Eight-year-old Nora Gottschalk was also inside the school when Natalie Rupnow allegedly began taking aim at those inside the building.

“I was getting ready for lunch, it was basically lunchtime, and then I just heard shouting,” the  little girl told News 3 Now while clutching onto her SpongeBob candy.

“And then there was a teacher… and she was screaming, ‘Ah my leg, help, help!’”

She added: “I was really scared, and I was really sad.”

Another second-grader, Noah, risked his own life by crawling from under the table where all the children were hiding to close the curtain to seemingly block the shooter’s view.

“He risked his life to put the black curtain down,” said Nora, before explaining that Noah is alive and okay.

Father Kellen Lewis believes Abundant Life Christian School prepared students and faculty well for the unwanted, but unfortunately common, threat of a school shooting.

Many of the school’s doors were locked, and students were instructed to move to the corners of classrooms. “They had a strategy, and that strategy probably helped save some lives,” Mr. Lewis told The New York Times.

Sixth-grader Adler Jean-Charles explained the horror from inside the K-12 school in Madison as gunshots began ringing out.

“We heard them. And some people started crying. And then we just waited until the police came and they escorted us out to the church,” he told ABC 7. “I was scared and [thinking], ‘Why did they do that? Why?’”

He continued: “I was in English and they said it was a lockdown drill, so we went to the side of the building and we went to the church after they came and got us.

“They gave us some food and then waited for them to transport us to the hospital and get our moms and dads.”

Jean-Charles’ mother, Mireille, fought back tears as she explained the impact on both her son and herself.

“Thank God they were safe,” she said.

“But the trauma. It’s a lot, as I’m sure they lost friends and teachers, which is not OK. I don’t think they will be OK for a long time, and I’m not.”

President Joe Biden has called for Congress to act “now” in the immediate aftermath of the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School.

In a statement issued by the White House on Monday, Biden said: “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.”

The president said the both he and First Lady Jill Biden are lamenting the loss of the shooting victims, while his team has reached out to local officials to offer support.

“Jill and I are praying for all the victims today, including the teacher and teenage student who were killed and those who sustained injuries. We are grateful for the first responders who quickly arrived on the scene, and the FBI is supporting local law enforcement efforts. At my direction, my team has reached out to local officials to offer further support as needed.”

Biden said that Congress must pass “commonsense” gun safety laws which include universal background checks, a “national red flag law,” and a “ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines”.

Police have identified 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow as the shooter who killed two people and died on Monday in a shooting at a Madison, Wisconsin, Christian school.