Girl and teacher killed in school shooting identified as cops reveal shooter Natalie Rupnow had two guns during rampage
Cops have also given an update on the survivors
THE identities of the student and teacher who were killed in a school shooting in Wisconsin on Monday have been released.
Detectives also revealed that shooter Natalie Rupnow, 15, brought multiple guns to the campus of Abundant Life Christian School when she carried out her shooting that also injured six others.
On Monday, Rupnow opened fire inside a mixed-grade classroom of the small private school before turning the gun on herself. She was declared dead en route to a hospital.
A student and substitute teacher were killed in the rampage.
Police have now identified those victims have been named as freshman Rubi Patricia Vergara, 14, and teacher Erin M. West, 42.
Four more victims were left with non-life-threatening injuries, and they have since been discharged from local hospitals.
Two other victims are still fighting for their lives.
Rubi has been remembered as an avid reader who loved art, singing, and playing keyboard in the family worship band, according to her obituary.
“She shared a special bond with her beloved pets, Ginger (cat) and Coco (dog),” the tribute adds.
Her funeral will be held on Sunday in Madison, and the family is asking for donations to be made to the school in lieu of flowers.
West has been remembered as an impactful member of the school.
“ALCS is a better school for the work of Erin West,” the school said in a statement.
“She brought her love of Jesus and love of people to our staff and school family all wrapped in a hug and topped with a smile.”
Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said in an interview on Wednesday the shooter had two handguns with her but used only one in the attack.
Police are investigating how the teen got her hands on this second weapon.
When asked about a motive, Barnes said, “We may never know what she was thinking that day, but we’ll do our best to try to add or give as much information to our public as possible.”
On Tuesday, the mystery of her chilling actions deepened after a California resident was arrested for allegedly texting Rupnow about his own violent fantasies on the day of the shooting.
Alexander Paffendorf, 20, was arrested for an alleged plan to arm himself with explosives and a gun to attack a government building that he texted the teen, the FBI said.
Cops raided his home and seized all of his weapons. He’s been banned from buying any more guns and will appear in court on January 3.
INVESTIGATION LAUNCHED
Barnes said the medical examiner would release the names of those killed, but Wisconsin’s crime victims privacy law would bar releasing the names of those injured.
Police, with the assistance of the FBI, were scouring online records and other resources and speaking with her parents and classmates in an attempt to determine a motive for the shooting, Barnes said.
Police don’t know if anyone was targeted in the attack or if the attack had been planned in advance, the chief said.
“I do not know if she planned it that day or if she planned it a week prior,” Barnes said.
“To me, bringing a gun to school to hurt people is planning. And so we don’t know what the premeditation is.”
Abundant Life Christian School shooting timeline
On December 16, a student at Abundant Life Christian School opened fire on the private K-12 school in Madison, Wisconsin. Below is a timeline of the events that unfolded:
10:57 am – A second-grade student calls 911 to report the shooting
11:00 am – Cops arrive on the scene and immediately enter the school
11:05 am – Cops find the shooter down and recover the gun
11:14 am – School is started to be cleared
11:20 am – Public safety alert is sent out to nearby phones
11:38 pm – Madison Police Department confirms multiple people are injured
12:15 pm – Cops hold a press conference and confirm three people are dead, including the shooter, and at least six others injured
12:38 pm – Abundant Life Christian School requests prayers on Facebook
2:30 pm – At a second press conference, cops confirm the shooter was a teen who attended the school
8:30 pm – Cops confirm shooter was student Natalie Rupnow, 15, who died while being transported to the hospital
While Rupnow had two handguns, Barnes hasn’t revealed who purchased them, citing the ongoing investigation.
No decisions have been made about whether Rupnow’s parents will be charged in relation to the shooting, but they have been cooperating, Barnes said.
Online court records show no criminal cases against her father, Jeffrey Rupnow, or her mother, Mellissa Rupnow.
They are divorced and shared custody of their daughter, but she primarily lived with her father, according to court documents.
Divorce records indicate that Natalie was in therapy in 2022.
SHOCK OUTBURST
Tension over the pace of official police updates spilled over into a news conference on Tuesday, and Barnes left without answering questions.
Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway grew increasingly terse in her responses as reporters asked questions she could not answer.
“It is absolutely none of y’all’s business who was harmed in this incident,” Rhodes-Conway said.
What to know about Abundant Life Christian School shooting
Three people are dead after a shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, on December 16.
Cops say student Natalie Rupnow, 15, stormed campus with a 9mm pistol and killed a teacher and student before turning the gun on herself.
Six others, believed to be all students, were wounded and two were in critical condition. They’ve since been stabilized.
A total of 420 students are enrolled at the K-12 Christian school.
It serves about 200 families from 56 different churches on its 28-acre campus, according to the academy’s website.
The tragedy unfolded in the last few days before students were released for Christmas break.
“Please, have some human decency and respect for the people who lost loved ones or were injured themselves or whose children were injured.
“Just have some human decency, folks. Leave them alone. Let them grieve. Let them recover. Let them heal.
“Don’t feed off their pain. We’ll share what we can when we can and not before that.”
Barnes on Wednesday defended the police department’s handling of information about the shooting because it has moved from a crisis response to the investigation phase.
“We’ve been trying to be as transparent as possible to give as much information as we can during the critical phase of this incident,” Barnes said.
“Now we’re in the investigative phase. And so the information may not be as forthcoming.”
