Two of the injured were hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after the shootings at the private school at 4901 E. Buckeye Road shortly before 11 a.m., authorities said.

Here’s what we know so far:

Second grade teacher called police

A second grade teacher at Abundant Life Christian School was the first call to police about a shooter in the building, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said. 

“Let that sink in for a minute,” he said. 

This clarifies a statement Monday by Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes that a second grade student called police. It was a teacher. Barnes said authorities reviewed the log and realized it was a teacher.

Shooter identified

The shooter was identified as 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow, who goes by the name Samantha. She died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

She was pronounced dead on the way to the hospital.

Barnes said that there are documents allegedly written by the shooter circulating online, but those have not been verified.

Barnes said officers are still working to determine how Rupnow got the gun.

“How does any 15 year old get a hold of them or anyone for that matter? You get into the philosophical question about guns and gun safety, something that we all should be talking to our loved ones about.”

Chief gives timeline of events

Barnes said the the second grader called 911 at 10:57 a.m. Officers reached the scene at 11 a.m, and 24 seconds later entered the building.

“Officers bravely entered the building as soon as they arrived not knowing what they were going to encounter,” Barnes said.

At 11:05 officers reported that the shooter was down. Also at 11:05, officials started setting up a reunification center for parents. 

Paramedics from Madison Fire arrived at 11:05 a.m., and Barnes said they were instrumental in providing aid and “potentially saving lives.

The incident was reported to the public at 11:13 a.m. The building was cleared a minute later, and at 11:23 bomb dogs cleared the building. The fire department started transporting victims at 11:16.

“I don’t know how we can minimize what has happened today, but we’re going to do the best we can to provide services for all these children and staff. We cannot forget the staff who bravely took care of their students.”

Police at Madison home

Madison Police put tape up and had two cruisers parked outside a home on the North Side, about six miles from the school. 

At a press conference Monday evening, authorities said the search is connected to the school shooting. 

The home on Monday evening still had its Christmas lights on that mimic dripping icicles but on this day the blue front door was lying in the front yard, likely the work of investigators who earlier in the day searched the home. The doorframe was also splintered.

The girl’s family is cooperating with law enforcement.

Authorities said it was unclear where the gun came from, the police are partnering with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to find out.

Two students who had non-life threatening injuries were released from hospital, two with non-life threatening injuries are still hospitalized and two others remain in critical condition.

Officers were going into the school three minutes after it was called in, Police Chief Shon Barnes said.

The school does not have metal detectors or a school resource officer.

Student describes moments of shooting

Adler Jean-Charles is a sixth grader at the school. He was in an English class with his twin brother when he heard what sounded like two gun shots.

“We heard them and then some people started crying” Adler said, moments after being unified with his mother. “And then we just waited until the police came and then they escorted us to the church.”

Leaders show frustration over latest shooting

City leaders on Monday showed frustration over the continued gun violence in schools across the country.

“I think we can all agree that enough is enough,” Barnes said. “We have to come together to do everything we can to support our students, to keep press conferences like these from happening again and again and again.”

At a later briefing, he said, “We have to do better. We have to collaborate better. We have to understand the warning signs. , and we have to use our resources when see things that may be going on with someone… these children are now the latest group of survivors of a school shooting.”

Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway urged people who need help after Monday’s shooting to speak up. And Trish Kilpin, State DOJ Director of Office of School Safety, said, “Targeted violence is preventable. When someone conducts a school shooting, they don’t simply snap… Instead they make a decision and start research and planning toward an act of violence… they often demonstrate observable behaviors that others notice.”

She encouraged people to report anything they hear or see to the state’s school safety tip line.

School receives support

Barbara Wiers, director of advancement for Abundant Life, said there was a great deal of community support Monday for families. 

“We had so many people stepping up to help our families,” she said. “This has obviously rocked our school community but we know it affects not just our community but Madison and the greater area and all schools.”

Friday was supposed to be the last day of class before Christmas break, so Wiers said it was unclear if the students will be back at all this week. 

Shooter was a 15-year-old girl

The Associated Press is reporting that the shooter, who died in the school Monday, was a 15-year-old girl.

Parent frustrated by lack of information

3:21 p.m. | More than three hours after the shooting, Rob Nelson was still waiting to be unified with his two children but had spoken with his 14-year-old daughter, Olive, a freshman, who had texted him about the shooting.

He said students from the school were taken out the school and taken across the parking lot to the church.

“She had messaged me that her school was on lockdown and that she had heard gunshots,” he said. “She heard pops and bangs that sounded like a gun, and Olive is very familiar; we are a hunting family. But she said she was safe but was not sure about my son.”

Nelson eventually heard from his 12-year-old son, Charles, a few hours later because his seventh grade son’s phone had been in his locker.

“He said he was also OK, and I can tell you that that was the roughest two hours of my life,” Nelson said. “The kids will not be going back to school here.”

Parents entering Dean Clinic were required to go through metal detectors and sign in and each were issued a white name tag with their name hand-written in black marker. Parents “were packed into a small room” and given very little information, Nelson said during a break in which he walked to a nearby Kwik Trip.

“It’s a lot of disappointment in there with the amount of information that has been given,” he said. “I had no alerts, no other information. My phone never rang, and it’s a small, little private school.”

Shooter used handgun; home being searched

3:06 p.m. | The shooter used a handgun, Barnes said, adding that all the gunfire occurred in one area of the school.

The person was dead by the time police arrived, he said, adding that police are searching the shooter’s home. The shooter’s parents are cooperating with investigation, Barnes said. 

Candlelight vigil planned for Tuesday evening

3:00 p.m. | The Boys and Girls Clubs of Dane County is planning a candlelight vigil in response to the shooting on Capitol Square at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

“As an organization dedicated to serving youth and families, we feel it is our responsibility to step forward and create spaces for connection and healing,” said Michael Johnson, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County.

Supporters are asked to gather at the Vel Phillips statue at the South Hamilton Street corner.

“The entire community is invited to attend and stand together in this time of sorrow and hope,” Johnson said.

Dead are a teacher, student; 2 other students critical  

2:40 p.m. | Barnes identified the dead as a teacher and a student. Two other students remained in critical condition, the chief said.

Four others, including teachers and students, were also hospitalized with injuries that were not believed to be life threatening. 

2:35 p.m. | Kyla, a high school teacher at another school, who lives in the area and has close “very close family friends” who attend the school stood on the sidewalk outside the school wrapped in a blanket, her eyes red from crying.

“Kids that I’ve known since they were born,” said Kyla, who asked to be identified only by her first name. “They were just at my house, right over the road, over the weekend, building gingerbread houses like we do every year. They mean the world to me. They’re my family. Their mom works at the school.”

“I know it’s cliche now at this point to say, but you never think that this is going to happen right in your backyard, right in front of you,” she said. “There are no words in the English language to describe how anybody, teachers, caregivers, family members, friends feel right now.”

Gothard: Shooting affects entire community

2:15 p.m. | In a statement, Madison School District Superintendent Joe Gothard said the district stands “in solidarity with our friends and neighbors at Abundant Life Christian School during this extraordinarily difficult time.

“This unimaginable tragedy impacts not just one school but all of us in the greater Madison community,” Gothard said. “No one should face these complex emotions in isolation. As a community bound by mutual respect and compassion, we urge everyone to continue looking out for one another, to offer kindness, and to keep the Abundant Life Christian School community in your thoughts.”

After the shooting, nine Madison schools were placed in “Secure” mode, meaning no one was allowed to enter or leave the buildings. The precaution was lifted at 1:15 p.m.

Mother, daughter reconnect via Facetime

2:09 p.m. | Bethany Highman has a daughter at the school where Highman’s sister is a teacher’s assistant. Highman was able to Facetime her daughter who was with her sister in the school.

“They’re not really telling us too much. But my daughter is OK,” Highman said. “I was just briefly able to see my daughter through something very traumatic and let her know that I was close to the church. She’s safe. I really don’t know any details. I’m just as hungry for what’s going on as I’m sure all of you are.”

Highman’s husband was in Sauk City when he heard about the shooting at his daughter’s school. He has no idea how he will explain the shooting to his daughter, whom he was waiting to be reunited with at Dean Clinic.

“It definitely breaks your heart. I’m real sad but I’m glad she’s ok,” LeBaron said. “There’s wicked people in this world and we got a taste of it today.”

‘Unreal. I don’t have any words’: Relatives in shock 

2:00 p.m. | Robert Nelson had walked about three blocks from the Dean Clinic to the corner of Buckeye and Tarragon drives but was stopped by police who told him to return to the clinic, which is being used as a reunification center.”

Nelson has a 12- and 14-year-old at the school and was miffed Monday about the lack of security at the private school.

“In a a little small, supposedly, private, Christian school on Buckeye Road that has no security,” Nelson said. “I drop my kids off every day and the principal stands there … and kids just come walking in.”

Louis Bentley, whose sister has two girls, ages 6 and 13, at the school, lives a few blocks from the scene and had heard about the shooting from a customer who had called his office in Monona. He had heard the sirens prior to the phone call and, after speaking with the customer, called his sister.

She was on her way from Sun Prairie as Bentley looked over the mass of emergency vehicles that filled Buckeye Road near the school.

“This is scary,” Bentley said as he held a small dog. “Its never a good time for this ever, but it’s the holidays and our family is very close. I just pray to God that this is going to,” Bentley said, as his voice trailed off to sobs.

Rachel Marquez has four nieces and nephews ages 2 to 13 at the school. She was notified by her sister that there had been shooting and immediately made her way toward the school.

“Unreal. I don’t have any words,” Marquez said. “I think you’re always surprised. You always think it can’t happen to you.”

A former parent, who asked to not be named, said she was “heartbroken and sick” over the shooting. The Abundant Life Christian School community is tight-knit, she said, where everyone knows everyone. When her son attended the school, she felt it was one of the best and safest.

“We just have to pray for Madison, Wisconsin, for the school, for teachers, for the kids who have to go back there,” she said. “It’s a very sad day, and I know we will rise up, that Challenger nation is strong, but they need prayer for everyone.”

Students being bused to reunification point

1:30 p.m. | Students were being brought by Metro Transit buses to the reunification point at the SSM East Clinic at 1821 S. Stoughton Road. 

Biden, Evers monitoring response

1:20 p.m. | Democratic Gov. Tony Evers said in a post on X he is closely monitoring the situation at Abundant Life Christian School.

“We are praying for the kids, educators, and entire Abundant Life school community as we await more information and are grateful for the first responders who are working quickly to respond,” Evers said.

“My sincere condolences and prayers for all the victims of the tragedy at Abundant Life Christian School,” U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, said in a post on X.

“Action not only prayers, Senator. Action!,” U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Black Earth, said in response to Johnson’s post.

President Joe Biden has also been briefed on the shooting and senior White House officials are in communications with local officials in Madison to provide support as needed, the White House said.

SSM East Clinic closed for day 

1:14 p.m. | SSM Health ceased operations, including urgent care, for patients Monday afternoon at its Dean Medical Group Madison East clinic at 1821 S. Stoughton Road, because of the shooting.

“We ask that all members of the public please avoid the area,” SSM Health said in a statement.

Patients whose appointments were cancelled will be contacted for rescheduling. Patients who need urgent care are asked to go to the Dean Medical Group Madison West clinic, at 752 N. High Point Road, or Dean Medical Group in Janesville, at 3200 E. Racine Street, Janesville.

SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison, UW Hospital and UW’s American Family Children’s Hospital said they were receiving patients injured in the shooting. 

Barnes: ‘My heart is heavy for Madison’

1:00 p.m. | “Today is a sad, sad day, not only for Madison, but for our entire country,” Barnes said. “Another police chief is doing a press conference to speak about violence in our community, specifically in one of the places that’s most sacred to me as someone who loves education and to someone who has children that are in school.

“I’m feeling a little dismayed now, so close to Christmas, every child, every person in that building, is a victim and will be a victim forever. These types of trauma don’t just go away, and we need to figure out, try to piece together, what exactly happened right now, my heart is heavy for my community. My heart is heavy for Madison.”

Update: 3 dead, 5 injured

12:50 p.m. | Madison police corrected the number of casualties in Monday’s school shooting, confirming that three people are dead, including the shooter, and five have been injured.

A police spokesperson earlier misstated the number of dead.

Madison alderman: Avoid the area

12:49 p.m. | Ald. Jael Currie is urging people to avoid the area around Abundant Life Christian School, the site of a shooting Monday morning, which is still an active scene.

“My heart goes out to the Abundant Life Christian School community in the light of this tragedy,” said Currie, who represents the district.

Family members should go to the SSM Health clinic at 1821 S Stoughton Road, first floor.

Law enforcement gave an update on the situation as 12:15 p.m. and the next one is set for 2:30 p.m., according to Currie.

Barnes: Police did not fire their weapons

12:30 p.m. | The shooter, whose name has not yet been disclosed, was a student at the school, Barnes said. The chief declined to say how the shooter died but said police did not fire their weapons.

Five others were injured. Their injuries range from minor to life-threatening. 

Police chief Shon Barnes to address media

12:18 p.m. | Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes is expected to address the media shortly. 

First responders meanwhile were trying to redirect parents and other family members from the school to the reunification point at the Dean clinic four blocks to the west, at East Buckeye and Stoughton roads. Some parents, unable to get through on Buckeye, have attempted to reach the school via side streets and have been referred to the clinic.

Abundant Life chief: ‘We’re praying hard’

11:50 a.m. | Chuck Moore, the executive director of the Madison nonprofit that runs Abundant Life and five other Christian schools, said he’s had no communication from the school and didn’t know whether the shooter and victims were part of the school community.

“We’ve had no communication from the school yet. We’ve been told we shouldn’t go there,” he said. “We’ve got emails and texts out. When it’s appropriate, I’m sure we’ll hear something. Of course you don’t know who’s been hurt.”

He did not know where Abundant Life students and staff were as of just before noon. The school has about 390 students, from kindergarten through high school, according to its website.

Today was a regular school day for the school, which has about 420 students and about 25 to 30 staff, Moore said. The five other schools that are part of the nonprofit, Impact Christian Schools, were put into a “soft lockdown,” he said.

“We’re praying hard for them and we’re communicating with the rest of our schools,” he said.

Parents racing to the scene

11:43 a.m. | Distraught parents were seen racing toward the school, only to be stuck in traffic on East Buckeye Road as they waited to enter the reunification center.

“I can’t believe this,” one woman was heard crying to a police officer directing traffic.

Reunification point established at SSM Clinic

11:38 a.m. | Parents were being urged to meet at the SSM Health urgent care clinic at the corner of East Buckeye Road and Stoughton Road.

This is a breaking story. Come back to Madison.com to learn more as news develops.