Update (12/16/2024): In an afternoon press conference, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes confirmed the deceased victims include the teen suspect, a teen student, and a teacher. Two students are in critical condition with life-threatening injuries and four others are at area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries.
Officials did not release the name or gender of the suspect, but detectives are working to determine motivation and gather additional information. There are no other threats to the community.
According to Barnes, police recovered a handgun at the scene. The shooting was confined to one area, but he did not know if it occurred in a classroom or hallway.
The shooter’s cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner, but the shooter was deceased by the time police arrived. No officer fired their weapon, according to Barnes.
Barnes said, “I think we can all agree that enough is enough. We have to come together to do everything we can to support our students, to prevent press conferences like these from happening again and again and again.”
Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway urged anyone who needs mental health support to contact 9-8-8, the Suicide and Crisis Lifetime.
MADISON, Wis. (TCN) — Several people are dead and injured after a juvenile opened fire at a local Christian school on Monday morning.
According to Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes, on Monday, Dec. 16, at 10:57 a.m., officers responded to a call about a shooting at Abundant Life Christian School and found multiple victims suffering from gunshot wounds. Police immediately rendered lifesaving efforts on wounded victims, whose injuries ranged from minor to life-threatening. Officers also located a juvenile they “believe was responsible” for the shooting.
Madison Police confirmed three people are deceased and six are injured, though it was not clear if the victims are students or teachers. Officials are still working to contact families before releasing identities.
Barnes explained his officers train for shootings like this every quarter, with the most recent one occurring about two weeks ago. He said, “Protocol is simple: stop the killing, stop the dying, find out who’s doing it. The officers did that.”
Barnes said he is “feeling dismayed” about the situation, especially with it occurring so close to Christmas and the holidays.
Abundant Life Christian School includes students from kindergarten to 12th grade. Police believe the shooter was a student at the school.
Barnes shared at the press conference, “Every person in that building is a victim and will be a victim forever. This type of trauma does not just go away.”
This is a breaking news story and will continue to be updated.