Tragedy

Cops Say Second Grader Was the First to Alert Them About School Shooting

The student called the police at 10:57 a.m. to alert them that a shooter had opened fire at their school.

A second grader at Abundant Life Christian School first alerted police about the school shooting in Madison, Wisconsin, on Monday, according to Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes. Speaking to reporters at a news conference Monday night, Barnes said, “Let that soak in for a minute… A second grade student called 911 at 10:57 a.m. to report a shooting at school.” A 15-year-old girl, who’s since been identified by authorities as Natalie Rupnow—preferred name, “Samantha”—is believed to have opened fire at the private Christian school Monday morning, killing a teacher and another classmate. “The shooting happened inside a classroom in a study hall of students from mixed grades,” Barnes noted. Police also found evidence that suggests the shooter died by a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Barnes added that police are so far not looking to charge the suspect’s parents, sharing, “The parents are fully cooperating, we have no reason to believe that they have committed a crime at this time.”