Madison school shooter is a girl, cops say after she murdered two then killed herself: Live updates

The shooter at Abundant Life Christian School has been identified as a female, according to police.

The suspect, who attended the school, was found deceased by police with a self-inflicted gunshot.

An unidentified teenage student and teacher were killed.

Multiple injuries have been reported, some life-threatening, according to the Madison Police Department. At least two students remain critically injured in hospital.

A handgun was also discovered by officers at the school.

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said the shooter’s family is cooperating with police.

Wiconsin police have refused to relase the age of the teen who opened fire at Abundant Life Christian School, killing two.

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes told reporters the suspected shooter is ‘still someones child.’

‘There’s nothing new that I can tell you about the shooter at this time.

‘Again, as difficult as today is, that’s still someone’s child that’s gone, that’s still someone that has to deal with what happened today.

‘And so we want to make sure that we can ensure as much cooroperaiton as we can,’ Barnes added.

The family of the suspected shooter is cooperating with police, Chief Barnes said.

He confirmed earlier that the shooter, who was found dead, was a student at Abundant Life Christian School.

Barnes did not say if the shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot or was killed by police.

Abundant Life Christian School did not have a school resource officer, according to Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes.

‘If they did, it would be a police officer and I know where they all are and they’re not in the schools right now,’ he said.

A handgun was discovered by officers at Abundant Life Christian School, according to Chief Barnes.

He did not reveal what kind of gun was found, but said that shooting was ‘confined to one space.’

Students are currently being interviewed by police, which is why, according to Barnes, questions remain unanswered.

‘We’re going to give them the opprotunity to come in and speak to what they may have saw when they feel ready,’ he added.

Bethany Highman, a parent of a studnet who attends Abundant Life Christian School, recalled what went through her head when she found out about the shooting.

‘And as soon as it happened, I mean, your world, it stops. For a minute, everything is – just nothing else matters.

‘There’s nobody around you, you just bolt for the door and try to do everything you can as a parent to be by your kids,’ Highman told The Capital Times.

Chief Barnes said happened in ‘one space’ in the building, but did not say whether it was a classroom or hallway.

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said six students are being treated at area hospitals, including two in critical condition with life-threatening injuries and four with non-life threatening injuries.

‘Why did this happen? What do we know? What was the motivation?’ chief Shon Barnes said. ‘I do not know.’

Barnes added that detectives are working hard to find answers.

Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said in a press conference her focus was assisting the families affected by the school shooting on Monday.

She thanked first responders and the White House for reaching out to her office.

‘The most important thing right now is to make sure that we are centering the victims and their families and that we’re doing whatever we can to support them and help them heal,’ Rhodes-Conway said.

‘I am on record that we need to do better to prevent gun violence, and I hoped that this day would never come in Madison.’

Lisa Adams, a spokesperson for SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison, said the hospital has received patients from the shooting but declined to provide further details.

‘We are praying for all affected by today’s tragic incident at Abundant Life Christian School and our community as a whole. We are grateful for the first responders who acted swiftly today,’ she said.

‘SSM Health is dedicated to serving our community. We remain committed to providing support and assistance in any way we can.’

Emily Greendonner, a spokesperson for UW Health, said it is also receiving patients from the shooting and setting up areas for patients’ families. UW Health is affiliated with the University of Wisconsin.

Madison police chief Shon Barnes gave an update on the school shooting shortly before 4pm EST.

The suspected shooter was a teen who attended the school and was found dead by police from a self-inflicted gunshot.

Baenwas said police are not releasing the shooter’s name or gender at this time.

Those killed were a teenage student and a teacher.

Chief Barnes did not release their names.

The shooting took place at Abundant Life Christian School, a private institution that teaches some 400 students from kindergarten through 12th grade.

CNN has reported that the two victims in Monday’s school shooting were a teacher and a student, citing a top law enforcement source.

The third deceased person was the shooter, who appears to have killed themselves before police arrived at the school.

Investigators believe the shooter used a 9mm pistol, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.

Chief Shon Barnes said schools should not have to have metal detectors for safety after he was asked on Monday whether the private school had such protections.

‘Stop asking why schools don’t have bullet proof glass and metal detectors at all the doors,’ Barnes said.

‘Ask why schools HAVE to. That’s the question that needs to be asked.’

Hundreds of commenters offered prayers from around the country, some from former students, former teachers and alumni at Abundant Life Christian school.

The school of about 390 students noted on its Facebook page in previous posts that this was the last school week before holiday break.

Commenters also issued well wishes and prayers on videos of students on school trips and singing at the annual Christmas choir concert from recent weeks.

A bus carrying students was seen leaving the school as emergency vehicles are parked outside the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin.

Parents have been told to meet their children at a reunification center nearby.

Many social media users have started expressing outrage over the latest school massacre in the country.

‘I’m not going to give any information about who the victims are, whether they’re students, staff or parents, because we need to make sure that we can notify people, chief Barnes told the press on Monday.

A medical team with the Madison police department were training for police shootings near Abundant Life Christian school when they had to respond to gunfire at the private institution.

‘They left the training center immediately and came down here — and doing in real time what they were actually practicing for,’

said police chief Shon Barnes.

There have been at least 200 incidents of gunfire on school grounds in the US this year, according to Everytown research.

The shootings have resulted in 55 deaths and 147 injuries across the country.

Per CNN’s count, this was the 83rd school shooting in 2024.

Baldwin issued a message on X following the school shooting and offered her office’s assistance to those affected.

‘Prayers Requested!’ the private school posted online.

‘Today, we had an active shooter incident at ALCS. We are in the midst of following up. We will share information as we are able.

Please pray for our Challenger Family.’

‘Officers located a juvenile who they believe was responsible for this deceased in the building,’ said chief Shon Barnes.

Barnes added that officers did not fire any shots at the school when responding to the incident.

Senior White House officials are in touch with local counterparts in Madison to provide support as needed, the White House said on Monday.

The shooting’s death toll has been updated to three, including the shooter, whose gender has not been revealed by police.

Police had previously wrongly stated that five were killed.

The shooter was reportedly a student at the school.

It’s unclear how many victims were students and how many were staff.

Chief Barnes said in a press conference that officias believe the juvenile who opened fire at the Madison Christian school.

Barnes did not disclose the juvenile’s gender.

Madison Police chief Shon Barnes said officers reponded to a call about an active shooter Monday morning.

The shooter was a juvenile but it’s unclear whether he was a student at the school.

‘Officers found multiple people suffering from gunshot wounds,’ Barnes said in a press congere.

About seven people were transferred to the hospital.

Three people including the juvenile shooter were killed.

Barnes did not say if the shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot or was killed by police.

‘This remains an active and ongoing investigation,’ Madison police said in a statement.

‘More information will be released as it is available. We currently need people to avoid the area.’

Police had blocked off roads around the school Monday afternoon.

Local sources say the shooter killed himself although it’s unclear if he is among those who have been killed.

December 14 marked 12 years since the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut.

That shooting left six adults and 20 small children dead.

The 20-year-old shooter had killed his mother before and committed suicide after the massacre.

People are comforted near Sandy Hook Elementary School, Dec. 14, 2012 in Newtown, Conn.

Multiple children have been taken to the hospital following the shooting, CNN reported.

Local media have reported that police said the shooter is down.

Several reports said the shooter killed themselves but police have not confirmed that information.

Senator Ron Johnson sent consolences to the victims of Monday’s shooting.

Abundant Life bosses say they teach students from about 300 local families.

The school was set up in 1978 and charges between $6,000 and $10,000-a-year tuition.

Madison Police described the shooting as an ‘active scene’ although the shooter is reported to have killed themselves.

The shooting happened just as class was beginning for the week. Investigators are yet to share the identities of the shooter, the victims, or give a possible motive.

Two people have been killed after a shooter burst into a classroom at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, on Monday morning.

The shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said. It is unclear if the shooter is among the two cops say were killed.

Three other people were injured.