# Abundant Life Christian School shooting

On December 16, 2024, a school shooting occurred at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Three people – including the perpetrator, identified as 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow – were confirmed dead, and six others were injured.

## Background

Abundant Life Christian School is a private Christian K–12 school founded in 1978. The building is located next to the City Church Madison and shares a 28-acre (11 ha) campus with the Campus for Kids Learning Center, an infants through kindergarten center in addition to the church. Children from about 200 families are enrolled in the school, which had about 390 students enrolled at the time of the shooting. At the time of the shooting, the school had cameras installed; however, like most private schools of its size, it did not have a metal detector or a school resource officer.
According to CNN, the shooting was at least the 83rd school shooting in the U.S. in 2024.

## Shooting

The shooting occurred inside of a classroom used as a study hall. According to the Madison Police Department, they received a 911 call from a second-grade teacher inside the school at 10:57 a.m. CST. The shooting was in a mixed age and grade study hall. Rupnow was armed with two handguns during the shooting, but only used one of them.
Law enforcement arrived at the school and found the shooter dead at 11:05 a.m., from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The suspect was initially reported as a teenage juvenile and a student at the school. The shooter was declared dead while being transported to the hospital.
At 11:14 a.m. school staff and students were evacuated. None of the responding officers fired their weapons. After an initial sweep of the school, police officials reported that there was no further threat to the public. According to various local news agencies, a public safety alert was sent to nearby phones at around 11:20 a.m.
A total of 21 shell casings were recovered at the school.

## Victims

During an initial news conference, officials from the Madison Police Department reported that the death toll was five people, but later amended their report and said that at least three people, including the suspected shooter, were dead. The two victims were identified by the Dane County Medical Examiner's Office as 42-year-old teacher Erin West of DeForest and 14-year-old student Rubi Vergara.
Six people were injured, two critically. Chief of Police Shon F. Barnes did not provide the ages and genders of the injured victims. Four patients from the shooting were treated at SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital in Madison, according to a spokesperson for the hospital. Two of the injured victims were later discharged. The other two patients remained hospitalized but were in stable condition.

## Perpetrator

Natalie Lynn "Samantha" Rupnow (November 7, 2009 – December 16, 2024), a 15-year-old female student at the school, was identified by a law enforcement official as the perpetrator. Rupnow lived in the Madison metropolitan area for the entirety of her life, with family ties in both Friesland and Randolph, Wisconsin. Her parents were both divorced and re-married twice. She had been enrolled in therapy by July 2022, which was supposed to help guide decisions about which parent she would spend weekends with.
Months prior to the shooting in August, Rupnow joined a gun club when her father took her to a shooting range. He wrote in a Facebook comment that they had joined the club that spring and had been "loving every second of it".
A user posted on X what was alleged to be the shooter's manifesto. At the time of publication the manifesto had not yet been authenticated by Madison police. Rupnow's alleged social media accounts contained expressions of alienation. A photo emerged of her wearing a KMFDM t-shirt similar to the shirt that Eric Harris, one of the perpetrators of the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, wore in various amateur videos.

## Aftermath

The Boys and Girls Clubs of Dane County hosted a candlelight vigil the day after the shooting at the state capitol grounds. A memorial was set up on a sidewalk near the school to honor the victims of the shooting. Former students among others brought offerings such as poinsettia flowers to the memorial.
On December 18, an obituary for Vergara was published online by a local funeral home. Her funeral service was held on December 21 at City Church in Madison.

## Investigation

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) was at the scene following the shooting. A spokesperson said the Bureau recovered the 9mm caliber handgun used in the shooting and was running a trace on it. Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) spoke to the perpetrator's family and students to attempt to find a motive. The perpetrator's family cooperated with law enforcement throughout the investigation. Chief Barnes said he was aware that the alleged manifesto, claimed to be from the shooter, was circulating on the internet, but he could not confirm its authenticity. He also said that he has requested that the ATF expedite their investigation into the shooter's whereabouts and method of obtaining the firearm. He was unsure if her parents owned or had possession of the weapon. On December 17, Barnes told news reporters that investigators are looking into a "combination of factors," including the possibility that Rupnow had been bullied.
The shooter's father's home was searched by law enforcement on December 17, in order to gather computers and other personal devices that will be used to identify the shooter's digital footprint. The shooter's mother's home was also visited by police on December 17, but according to neighbors and eyewitnesses, it appeared nobody was home. Neighbors said they had little contact with the shooter's mother. Additionally, police are searching the suspected shooter's social media accounts for hints that could help them establish motive behind the attack.

### Potential co-conspirators

On December 18, 20-year-old Alexander Paffendorf from Carlsbad, California, was detained by FBI agents in connection with the shooting. He was suspected of coordinating a mass shooting at a government building in conjunction with Rupnow. Allegedly, he told Rupnow that he "would arm himself with explosives and a gun and that he would start shooting in a government building." It is currently unclear how Paffendorf and Rupnow knew each other; the FBI declined to comment on this situation. However, as a result of his statements and admissions, a gun violence emergency protective (restraining) order approved by a San Diego County judge was served on Paffendorf. The order requires Paffendorf to turn over firearms and not to possess any guns while the order is in effect. On January 3, 2025, Paffendorf appeared via video in the San Diego County Superior Court for a restraining order hearing. He apologized for his connection to the shooting, expressed regret for his actions, and said he was willing to face the repercussions of his actions. The judge postponed the hearing until April 4 because Paffendorf is under criminal investigation and does not yet have an attorney.
The X account of the perpetrator behind the Antioch High School shooting was allegedly followed by Rupnow.

## Reactions

President Joe Biden condemned the incident as "shocking and unconscionable" in a statement. He called on Congress to take immediate action to address gun violence, emphasizing the need for stronger protections for children in schools. He advocated for Congress to pass gun safety laws including universal background checks, a national red flag law in addition to a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
Wisconsin governor Tony Evers ordered the United States and Wisconsin flags to be flown at half-mast and released a statement on X shortly after the shooting tweeting that he was closely monitoring the shooting and the community, and was praying for the students, educators, and community as they await more information.
Wisconsin senators Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson posted separate statements on social media offering their condolences and prayers to all the victims, and said they would continue to monitor the situation and assist law enforcement as needed. Shortly after the shooting, the school's Facebook page posted that they had had an active shooter incident and are asking for prayers.
Chief Barnes told the media, "Every child, every person in that building, is a victim and will be a victim forever. These types of trauma don't just go away." At the vigil, Madison Metropolitan School District superintendent Joe Gothard said that the tragedy occurred less than two blocks from his childhood home. He claimed saying that the district would improve safety was insufficient. He said, "We need to connect like we are tonight, each and every day and make a commitment that we know we're there for one another, hopefully to avoid preventable tragedies like yesterday."