What we know about the victims in Wisconsin Christian school shooting
(NEXSTAR) — A student and a teacher were killed and six more people were injured Monday after a 15-year-old student opened fire in a study hall at a Christian school, according to police in Wisconsin's capitol city.
An obituary released Wednesday identified the student who was killed as 14-year-old Rubi Patricia Vergara of Madison. Vergara, a freshman at Abundant Life Christian School, was described as "an avid reader" who "loved art, singing and playing keyboard in her family worship band." A funeral has been scheduled for Saturday and in lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Abundant Life Christian School, the obituary notes.
The school's communication director, Barbara Wiers, said in a statement Wednesday evening that Vergara had attended the school since kindergarten.
On Wednesday, the Dane County medical examiner identified the teacher who was killed as Erin Michelle West, 42.
West, of DeForest, worked as a substitute teacher for three years before accepting a position as the school's substitute coordinator and an in-building substitute teacher, Wiers said.
She was "kind and caring," seventh-grade student Angel Brube told CNN. Mackynzie Wilson, a sophomore at the school, told the outlet that West "really loved her kids" and was "excited to see her daughters grow up."
"Our hearts are heavy with these losses," Wiers wrote in an email to The Associated Press.
As of Thursday morning, the five students and one teacher who were injured had not been publicly identified.
During a Tuesday afternoon press conference, Barnes said that two students remain in critical condition. They remained in critical condition as of Wednesday. Of the others who were injured, all with less serious injuries, two remain hospitalized. An update on their condition has not been released.
The ages of the students have also not been shared but Abundant Life Christian School, a nondenominational school of roughly 420 students in Madison, serves pre-kindergarten through high school.
It's unclear if those who were killed and injured were targeted. On Tuesday, Barnes said "everyone was targeted" in the shooting.
“Every child, every person in that building is a victim and will be a victim forever. ... We need to figure out and try to piece together what exactly happened," Barnes said.
Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and Dane County Executive Melissa Agard declined to disclose the names of the victims during Tuesday's press conference, which Barnes left after making remarks.
“Leave them alone,” Rhodes-Conway snapped. "Let them grieve. Let them recover. Let them heal."
Multiple services and vigils were held to honor the victims of Monday's shooting, according to Madison outlet WISC. The United Way of Dane County has also established an emergency recovery fund with all proceeds going to the school's families.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has ordered flags in the state to be flown at half-staff in honor of the victims. The order began Monday and will run through sunset on Sunday.
“Kathy and I join the people of Wisconsin in praying for the families and loved ones of those whose lives were so senselessly taken and for the educators, staff, and the entire Abundant Life school community as they grapple with the grief, trauma, and loss of this gut-wrenching tragedy,” Evers said in a statement. “We are also praying and hoping all those injured survive and recover.”
The shooter has been identified as Natalie Rupnow, who was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound by arriving officers. She died en route to the hospital.
While a motive has not been identified, police confirmed on Wednesday that Rupnow had been in contact with a man in California who had allegedly been planning to attack a government building.
A California judge issued a restraining order Tuesday under California’s gun red flag law against the 20-year-old Carlsbad man. The order requires the man to turn his guns and ammunition into police within 48 hours unless an officer asks for them sooner because he poses an immediate danger to himself and others.
According to the order, the man told FBI agents that he had been messaging Natalie Rupnow, the Wisconsin shooter, about attacking a government building with a gun and explosives. The order doesn't say what building he had targeted or when he planned to launch his attack. It also doesn't detail his interactions with Rupnow except to state that the man was plotting a mass shooting with her.
The website for the anti-violence organization Everytown for Gun Safety shows that there have been at least 202 incidents of gunfire on school grounds, resulting in 56 deaths and 147 injuries, in 2024. That data doesn’t include the latest shooting in Madison.
The deadliest school shooting in 2024 happened in September at Apalachee High School in Georgia.
Last year, 45 people died in 158 school shootings, the Everytown for Gun Safety website shows. Sixty-seven people died in 181 school shootings in 2022, according to the data.
Firearms were the leading cause of death among children in 2020 and 2021, according to KFF, a nonprofit that researches health care issues.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.