Madison school shooter Natalie Rupnow 'was new student' as teachers had 'no concerns'
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A 15-year-old female shooter who opened fire at a private Christian school was a new pupil that teachers had "no concerns" with. Natalie Rupnow, who shot and killed a teacher and a fellow student on Monday, was only in her first semester at the school in Madison, Wisconsin but seemed to be settling in, according to a school official. Abundant Life Christian School student Rubi Patricia Vergara, 14, of Madison and teacher Erin West, 42, of DeForest were killed Monday. Two other students who were shot remained in hospital in a critical condition on Thursday.
Barbara Wiers, the school's director for elementary and communications, said that the attack lasted eight minutes - shorter than the school's regular snack break. She said the community's faith and connection to one another has sustained them as they struggle with the possibility that the shooter's motive might remain undetermined.
"Are we broken right now? Yes. Are we bruised and battered? Yes," she said. "But we will laugh again, and He will turn our mourning into joy again. And we will go on." Police say student Natalie "Samantha" Rupnow shot herself at the school and died at a Madison hospital. Police have said her motivation for the attack remains a key part of their investigation.
This was Rupnow's first semester at ALCS, Wiers said. The school was working with her family on attendance, but teachers had no significant concerns, she said. "I pray for this family because right now they've lost a daughter and they are wounded," she added. "And they're dealing with the fact that their daughter did this terrible thing and hurt these other people. It has to be one of the loneliest, bitterest places to be.".
