A 15-year-old student opened fire at the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, on Monday, killing a teacher and another student, police confirmed.
The shooter, identified as Natalie Rupnow, who went by Samantha, also injured six others during the attack, leaving two victims in critical condition, officials said.
Police arrived at the scene around 11 a.m. to find Rupnow dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Rupnow had attended the private school, which serves about 390 students from Kindergarten through 12th grade, according to authorities.
At a press conference Monday night, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes addressed questions regarding Rupnow’s gender identity, saying: "I don't think that whatever happened today has anything to do with how she or he or they may have wanted to identify. And I wish people would kind of leave their own personal biases out of this."
Barnes added that while questions surrounding gender identity “may come out later,” it was “of no consequence at this time.”
The shooter used a handgun, police said, and investigators are currently working to determine how Rupnow obtained the firearm. Authorities are also interviewing her father, who, according to Barnes, is fully cooperating with the investigation.
“We’re trying to determine what he knew or may have not known about what happened today,” Barnes said, adding, “But again, he lost someone as well.”
At this stage, police are not pursuing charges against the family. “The parents are fully cooperating, and we have no reason to believe that they have committed a crime at this time,” Barnes explained.
* ABC13 News contributed to this article.
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