A 15-year-old student killed a teacher and another student in a shooting at the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, on Monday, police said.
The shootings at a Madison school on Monday bring the number of school shootings in the U.S. to 323 this year. The 2024 number is down slightly from 2023, when 349 school shootings were recorded.
Natalie Rupnow, who went by Samantha, also injured six others -- leaving two in critical condition, according to officials.
She was dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound when police arrived on the scene at about 11 a.m. on Monday.
Rupnow had attended the school along with some 390 students in grades Kindergarten through 12, police said.
The teen shooter used a handgun, police said. Authorities are investigating the origin of the firearm, according to Barnes.
They are also speaking with her father and "trying to determine what he knew or may have not known about what happened today," Barnes said.
"But again, he lost someone as well," Barnes added.
The family is cooperating, Barnes said, and he explained that police are not currently looking to extend charges in connection with the deadly shooting.
"The parents are fully cooperating, we have no reason to believe that they have committed a crime at this time," Barnes said.
The incident took place shortly before 11 a.m. local time on Monday.
“The shooting happened inside a classroom in a study hall of students from mixed grades,” Barnes said.
A second-grader called 911 as the attack unfolded.
"Let that soak in for a minute," Barnes said. "A second-grade student called 911 at 10:57 a.m. to report a shooting at school."
Police believe that the suspect was in school when the attack began, and that there wasn't any breach.
However, detectives are investigating whether there were any potential warning signs, Barnes said.
There are cameras inside the building, police confirmed.
The school representative also confirmed that the faculty and students had been trained in lockdown procedures, which were implemented during the active shooter incident on Monday.