Two people died and many others were injured Shooting at a private Christian school A suspected attacker was also killed in Madison, Wisconsin, on Monday, officials said.
At least six people were injured in the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School, with injuries ranging from minor to life-threatening, authorities said.
Officers responded to the school, located at 4901 East Buckeye Road, around 11 a.m. Police said the shooting was limited to a single location in the school, but did not specify whether the shooting occurred in a classroom or a hallway.
What do we know about the suspected shooter?
A law enforcement source said the suspected attacker was a 17-year-old student at the school. The Associated Press was the first to report this. Madison Police Chief Shawn F. Officers found the suspect dead at the scene, Barnes said.
“They found the person they believed was responsible, who was deceased,” the chief said.
Officials said the suspected attacker was dead by the time officers arrived and none of the police fired their weapons.
Barnes said he would not yet share the age, gender or any other identifying information about the suspected attacker. He said the motivation of the suspected shooter was not yet known.
Police have contacted the suspected shooter's family and the family is cooperating with police, Barnes said.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it was “working on it.”instant trace“The gun used in the shooting.
A handgun was recovered after the shooting, Barnes said.
What do we know about victims of school shootings?
In addition to the suspected shooter, two people were killed – a student and a teacher – and at least six were injured, officials said. Officials said the injuries ranged from minor to life-threatening.
Police have not yet publicly identified the victims. Names will not be released until authorities have spoken to family members who lost loved ones in Monday's shooting.
Barnes initially declined to say whether the victims were students or teachers, but released additional information during a news conference Monday afternoon. The two victims killed in the shooting have been identified as a teacher and a teenager, Barnes said. All the injured students were students. Two of the injured were in critical condition on Monday afternoon, with their injuries considered life-threatening.
“I'm feeling a little disappointed now, so close to Christmas,” Barnes said. “Every child, every person in that building is suffering and will always be suffering. This type of trauma doesn't just go away.”
SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital-Madison said it had received patients after the shooting. UW Health also said it was receiving patients during the shooting.
What do we know about Abundant Life Christian School?
Abundant Life Christian School According to the school site, is a private school established in 1978. It is a K-12 school with approximately 390 students.
“Prayers requested! Today, we had an active shooter incident in the ALCS,” the school posted on Facebook.
The school describes itself as a “private, non-profit, non-denominational K-12 institution founded for the purpose of developing disciples of Jesus Christ through an excellent, comprehensive, Bible-integrated educational program.” which is thoroughly Christian in content, context and practice.”
During a news conference Monday, Barnes was asked about metal detectors at the school.
Barnes said, “I am not aware that there were metal detectors in the school, nor should schools have metal detectors. It is a safe place.”
Murat Usubaliev/Anadolu via Getty Images
What are the gun laws in Wisconsin?
Giffords Law Center reviews gun laws wisconsin ac On its annual scorecard.
According to the center, “the state still lacks several key policies that could go a long way toward reducing gun violence.”
in wisconsin, possession of a firearm Being under the age of 18 is a misdemeanor, while selling, lending, or giving a gun to a person under the age of 18 is a felony. It is also a state crime to allow a child under 14 to be within reach of a loaded firearm.
Bringing a loaded weapon to school is also a crime.
President Biden, Governor Evers react to Wisconsin shootings
President Biden was briefed on the Wisconsin shooting, a White House official said. Mr Biden called the shootings shocking and unconscionable and called on Congress to take action.
“From Newtown to Uvalde, from Parkland to Madison, to the many other shootings that go unnoticed – it is unacceptable that we are unable to protect our children from this scourge of gun violence. We cannot accept this as normal. Every child has the right to feel safe in their classroom. Students across our country must learn to read and write – not cower and hide.”
Governor Tony Evers ordered US and Wisconsin flags to be flown at half-staff following the shooting.
“As a father, a grandfather and a governor, it is unimaginable that a child or a teacher could wake up one morning and go to school and never come home,” Evers said. “This should never happen, and I will never accept it as a predetermined reality or stop working to change it.
Former Rep. Gabby Giffords, who founded a national gun violence prevention organization, said her heart goes out to the Madison community.
“Just days after remembering the 26 people killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School, another school community has fallen victim to the terror of a mass shooting in Madison,” Giffords said in a statement. “Students deserve to go to school free from gun violence, but in our country, it is the number one killer of children – a devastating, preventable tragedy that demands action from our elected leaders.”
How many school shootings have occurred so far in 2024?
Monday's shooting came just days after we remembered the victims of the Dec. 14, 2012, Sandy Hook school shooting.
according to education weekit's 38 school shooting This year resulting in injuries or deaths.
Earlier this month, two kindergartners were injured in Northern California school shooting,
In the last four years, school shooting More than 200 people have been killed and more than 600 injured, according to a CBS News analysis of a K-12 school shooting database.