Plentiful Life Christian College capturing newest: Native faculties report ‘false threats’

Police are investigating the net footprint of 15-year-old Plentiful Life Christian College capturing suspect Natalie Rupnow — who glided by Samantha — as they piece collectively the course of occasions that left three individuals lifeless, Rupnow amongst them.

In the meantime, quite a few faculties within the Madison Metropolitan College District “had been focused by false threats typically referred to as swatting” Tuesday, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes advised reporters at a information convention.

Police are investigating, Barnes mentioned, and he famous authorities don’t imagine there are any present threats. “Making false threats is a criminal offense, and we’re working with the district legal professional,” he mentioned.

Barnes mentioned police are nonetheless working to ascertain a motive for Monday’s lethal capturing, suggesting there have been a number of elements.

Police are speaking to college students to find out if bullying was one, he mentioned. “Everybody was focused on this incident and everybody was put in equal hazard,” Barnes added.

Barnes mentioned police are additionally investigating Rupnow’s on-line exercise. The police chief urged anybody who knew her or had insights into her emotions to name Madison Space Crime Stoppers at 608-266-6014.

One trainer and one pupil had been killed within the Monday morning capturing, which came about inside a classroom throughout a research corridor “full of scholars from a number of grade ranges.”

Two different college students stay in important situation with life-threatening accidents. Three college students and a trainer suffered non-life-threatening accidents.

Rupnow died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound earlier than regulation enforcement arrived, police mentioned. Officers didn’t hearth their weapons.

Rupnow’s dad and mom are cooperating with the investigation, Barnes advised ABC Information on Tuesday.

“They had been cooperative. Regardless of this tragedy, they nonetheless misplaced a baby. They nonetheless misplaced a member of their household,” Barnes mentioned.

“It’s sure that they’ve in all probability extra questions than anybody as a result of they knew her,” he mentioned. “They lived together with her and so we wished to get an account from them of what sort of youngster she was.”

Her father is being questioned by investigators, Barnes mentioned. He mentioned he did not know whether or not the mom had been questioned, noting that she’s been out of city.

A candlelight vigil was held Tuesday evening on the state capitol for the victims of the capturing.

“Yesterday, the Madison group skilled a horrible and traumatic occasion,” Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway mentioned on the vigil. “We are going to by no means be the identical, however we are going to get via this. And we are going to get via this collectively by counting on one another and taking good care of one another.”

The victims haven’t been publicly recognized. Rhodes-Conway advised reporters throughout the information convention that they’re respecting the privateness of the victims’ households and can “share what we are able to after we can and never earlier than that.”

“Allow them to grieve. Allow them to get better. Allow them to heal,” she mentioned.

College students in kindergarten via twelfth grade attend the Christian college.

“I used to be within the hallway, and I used to be altering from my sneakers to my boots to go to lunch as a result of I’ve recess after, however then I heard the capturing and screams,” a woman in second-grade advised Chicago ABC station WLS.

James Smith advised ABC Information his 17-year-old daughter was in physics class on the time gunshots rang out two school rooms away. She wasn’t harm.

Smith mentioned Plentiful Life Christian College welcomes college students who could have been bullied or had a troublesome time at different faculties.

“We, as a college, need to assist those that are having troubles, to have the ability to present a protected house for them to develop, on the similar time steadiness throughout a protected house for the remainder of our pupil physique,” he mentioned.

Smith additionally mentioned the varsity’s inhabitants grew dramatically post-pandemic as many dad and mom sought an alternative choice to public faculties.

Within the wake of Monday’s capturing, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are urging elected officers to fight gun violence.

Biden in an announcement known as the capturing “stunning and unconscionable,” and he talked about his administration’s efforts to fight the gun violence epidemic within the U.S., together with the implementation of the White Home Workplace of Gun Violence Prevention.

Biden requested Congress to move “commonsense” gun security legal guidelines, together with common background checks, a nationwide crimson flag regulation and a ban on each assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

“It’s unacceptable that we’re unable to guard our kids from this scourge of gun violence,” Biden mentioned, including, “We can’t proceed to just accept it as regular.”

“It is one other college capturing, one other group being torn about and torn aside by gun violence,” Vice President Kamala Harris mentioned in remarks Tuesday. “And naturally, our nation mourns for many who had been killed, and we pray for the restoration of those that are injured and for your complete group.”

Harris, who performed a job within the Biden administration’s efforts to fight gun violence, confused, “We as a nation should renew our dedication to finish the horror of gun violence, each mass shootings and on a regular basis gun violence that touches so many communities in our nation.”

“We should finish it, and we have to be dedicated to have the braveness to know that options are in hand, however we’d like elected leaders to have the braveness to step up and do the suitable factor,” she mentioned.

ABC Information’ Alex Perez, Briana Stewart and Molly Nagle contributed to this report.