Teacher Among Dead in Latest High School Shooting

Madison, WI (WorkersCompensation.com) – A teacher was killed, in the latest high school shooting, this one at a Christian school in Madison, Wis.

Officials said one teacher and one student died during the shooting, as well as the shooter, and at least six others were injured. The shooting at Abundant Life Christian School was the latest in at least 81 school shootings this year in the U.S. according to CNN, with 56 of them at K-12 schools. Of those, 38 included fatalities. Since 2008, there have been 683 shootings at schools – including K-12 schools as well as colleges and universities, according to Statista.com.

Officials said the shooter, reported to be a girl, opened fire at the K-12 private Christian school around 11 a.m. on Monday morning. Students were attending their last week of classes before Christmas vacation and were preparing for festivities including a holiday concert and an Ugly Christmas Sweater Day, the school’s website showed.

However, at some point, investigators believe, the shooter pulled a 9 mm handgun out and opened fire. Officials said the shooting was “confined to one space,” although they did not clarify what kind of space that was.

The Madison Police Department received the 911 call from inside the school just before 11 a.m., and rushed to the scene, leaving a training event to do so.

“They left the training center immediately and came down here — and doing in real time what they were actually practicing for,” Police Chief Shon Barnes said at a news conference.

Barnes said the suspect was found dead, by what is believed to be a self-inflicted gunshot, once officers entered the building. While Barnes did not give any identifying information about the shooter, a law enforcement officer told CNN the shooter was a female.

"It's a sad day for our community and our country. We have to do a little bit better," Barnes said during a press conference Monday afternoon.

As of Monday evening, officials had not yet disclosed identifying information about the victims or the shooter, pending notification of the victims’ families.

In a post on its public Facebook page, the school asked for prayers.

"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,” the school posted Monday afternoon.

Police said the other six injured were students. During the Monday afternoon press conference, Barnes said of those injured, two students were in critical condition with life-threatening injuries, and four other students were at area hospitals with non-life threatening injuries.

“Many of you have asked me about the 'why' of this. ‘Why did this happen?’ ‘What do we know?’ ‘What was the motivation?’ Barnes said. “I do not know, but I will tell you this, our detectives are working hard in the investigative process to find out as many answers as we can so that we can further prevent these things from happening, not only in this community, but in other communities around our country.”

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said he is “closely monitoring the incident.”

"We are praying for the kids, educators, and entire Abundant Life school community as we await more information and are grateful for the first responders who are working quickly to respond,” he said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “As a father, a grandfather, and as governor, it is unthinkable that a kid or an educator might wake up and go to school one morning and never come home. This should never happen, and I will never accept this as a foregone reality or stop working to change it.”

Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said she had hoped that “this day would never come in Madison.”

“This is an incredibly sad day for our community. As you’ve heard, there is no danger to the community at this time,” Rhodes-Conway said during the press conference. “But our entire community has been impacted by this tragic incident.”

Rhodes-Conway urged anyone dealing with mental health concerns in the aftermath of the shooting should contact 988 via text or phone for help.

“If anyone needs mental health support as a result of this incident and the coverage of it, I encourage them to reach out to 988 by phone or text and to get the mental health support that they need,” Rhodes-Conway said. “It is incredibly important that we take care of our community in this very difficult time.”

The Wisconsin Department of Justice Office of School Safety and Office of Crime Victim Services said it will provide resources for staff, students and students’ families.

“I’m heartbroken for the students, teachers, staff members, and families impacted by the devastating mass shooting this morning at Abundant Life Christian School. No one should ever have to experience something like this,” Attorney General Josh Kaul said in a statement. “Our Office of School Safety is offering support and will aid the community in recovery. My thoughts and condolences are with every family affected by this tragedy.”

The offices’ Critical Incident Response Team will provide support to school administrators and educators, as well as provide resources to help stabilize the school community and to identify individuals who may require long-term mental health services, among other things.

State Superintendent Jill Underly issued a statement on Monday, as well.

“No community should ever face the pain of losing children, teachers, or friends to violence – especially in our schools,” she wrote. “This tragedy is a stark reminder that we must do more to protect our children and our educators to ensure that such horrors never happen again. We will not rest until we find solutions that make our schools safe, and so our children feel secure.”

The shooting is the fifth school shooting in Wisconsin this year, according to Everytown for Gun Safety. That includes an attempted shooting in May at Mt. Horeb Middle School, where police killed a student with a pellet gun before he entered the school building, Wisconsin Public Radio said.

Share This Article: