2 victims killed, 6 others injured in Madison school shooting; 15-year-old female shooter also dead

MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- The week before Christmas, a private Christian school in Madison was the target of an active shooter. 

Madison police say a 2nd grader teacher called 911 and reported the shooting just before 11 a.m. at Abundant Life Christian School, located at 4901 E Buckeye Road. It was initially reported that a 2nd grade student made the call.

When police arrived, the shooter -- identified by the Madison police chief as 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow -- was found dead. Police noted that Natalie went by the name Samantha.

Officials say no officers fired their weapons, and evidence suggests Rupnow died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A handgun was recovered at the scene.

Two victims were killed in the shooting, including a teacher and a teenage student.

Six more people were injured, including two students who remain in critical condition with life-threatening injuries.

Officials say of the six injured, one teacher and three more students were taken to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. Two of those survivors have since been released from the hospital, and the remaining two are said to be in stable condition. 

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes told reporters, "But these are just the physical injuries that we know about," adding, "there will be other injuries that we'll have to face for a very, very long time."

A mother named Bethany has children at the school. She said her sister called her about the shooting. "She told me please remain calm. So I was already trying to mentally prepare."

Another father said, "We've joked around about how safe a 400 student body school, Christian private school is, right? If it can happen here, it can literally happen anywhere."

During their third press conference of the day, around 5:30 p.m., officials said all surviving students had been reunited with their loved ones.  

In the last of four news conferences Monday, police said the shooting happened in a classroom with students from mixed grades, during a study hall.

Once the school was cleared, investigators worked to understand a motive.

They searched a house 20 minutes northwest of the school they said was connected to the shooting. And police said the shooter's parents were cooperating.

Barnes said an investigation is underway and they are still working to identify a motive. The chief said they are aware of a document circulating on social media; however, police have not verified its authenticity.

The Madison Police Department, like so many others, trains extensively for situations like this and just trained two weeks ago. 

"Stop the threat, stop the killing, find the killer. That's how we train. And that's exactly what we did today. There's no waiting, there's no coordination of who's in charge. Everyone knows exactly what to do," Barnes said. 

Abundant Life Christian School is a K-12 school with 420 students. In a social media post, they asked for prayers.

Barbara Wiers, director of elementary and school relations, said during the third press conference held Monday that Abundant Life Christian School does not have metal detectors. She said they do have cameras in the building that are monitored, along with other security protocols in place.

The school also held an active shooter drill at the beginning of the school year. Wiers said students are told when they are in a drill. "When they heard, 'Lockdown, lockdown' and nothing else, they knew it was real."

Wiers was teaching in her classroom when the shooting happened. She said, "We take care of making sure the door is secure. We shut the door down. We get the students to a safe part of the room. And we prepare."

The deadly shooting has shaken the surrounding communities in southern Wisconsin.

City and county leaders prepared to offer coping resources.

Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said, "The most important thing right now is to make sure that we are centering the victims and their families."

And Dane County Executive Melissa Agard told people who may be struggling to cope, "Please reach out. You are not alone."

A group of UW-Madison students gathered outside the school with candles Monday night. Organizers of the vigil said they heard about the deadly events of the day and wanted to show support for the families in mourning. 

Neighbors reflected on the day, wondering how we can prevent shootings like this from happening.

"Seeing them getting on the bus, some of them just so little, they aren't going to fully understand what's happening and they deserve to feel safe and supported," said Jane Robinson, who lives nearby.

"It just makes you wonder, how much is enough?" said UW student Mya Cullen. "When will we understand how beautiful life is and that when it's taken away it shouldn't just be, oh, another life. It should be, what can we do to fix this, how we can start doing something to fix this."

But students aren't the only ones who will struggle to process what happened.

Barnes said, "How can I say 100% that no child will ever be harmed in school? I can't. No police chief can."

The Abundant Life Christian School building is now a crime scene, and will remain closed throughout the investigation.

The school community is trying to keep faith.

Wiers said, "We exist to build disciples of Jesus Christ. And so we have complete faith that He will carry us through this."

At one point, Madison police incorrectly reported five people were dead in the shooting, including the shooter. They later revised that number back down to three.

State and local leaders have been reacting to the tragedy throughout the day. Read their statements here.