JUST IN: Authorities Give Tragic Update On Christian School Shooting

Just a week before Christmas break, a tragic school shooting occurred at Abundant Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin. On Monday morning, a teenage student opened fire, resulting in the deaths of a teacher and another teenage student.

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes reported that the shooting left a total of three people dead and six others injured. Among the injured, two students are in critical condition with life-threatening injuries. According to Barnes, the other four sustained injuries that are not life-threatening.

The suspected shooter, whose age and gender have not been disclosed, was also found deceased at the scene. Chief Barnes suggested that the shooter likely died by suicide. Initial reports mistakenly stated that five people had died, but this was later corrected. Abundant Life Christian School, a K-12 institution, is home to approximately 390 students.

“I don’t know if it’s a male or a female, but the police department did not fire their weapons,” Barnes said.

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“I’m feeling a little dismayed now, so close to Christmas,” Barnes said in a press conference. “Every child, every person in that building is a victim and will be a victim forever. … We need to figure out and try to piece together what exactly happened.” Barnes remarked, “I don’t know why, and I feel like if we did know why, we could stop these things from happening.”

He mentioned that detectives were “working hard to find as many answers as we can.” The police were called to the scene just before 11 a.m., responding quickly without discharging their weapons as they entered the school. The initial alert came through a 911 call made by someone inside the school reporting an active shooter. “What began as a training day became an actual day,” Barnes said, noting that the police training center is only 3 miles away from the school, from which the responding officers quickly deployed.

The chief explained that the shooting occurred “confined to one space,” though it remains unclear whether this was a classroom or a hallway. He also noted that the suspect’s family is cooperating with the investigation. A law enforcement official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to not being authorized to speak publicly, told The Associated Press that investigators believe the shooter used a 9mm pistol in the incident.

I am closely monitoring the incident at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison. 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.

— Governor Tony Evers (@GovEvers) December 16, 2024

The FBI’s Milwaukee bureau has deployed agents to the scene to assist with the investigation. Additionally, the White House confirmed that Joe Biden has been briefed on the details of the shooting.

“This tragedy is a stark reminder that we must do more to protect our children and our educators to ensure that such horrors never happen again,” said Jill Underly, Wisconsin’s superintendent of public instruction. “We will not rest until we find solutions that make our schools safe. The time for change is long past.”