**MADISON, Wis.** — A 15-year-old student opened fire inside Abundant Life Christian School on Dec. 16, 2024, killing a teacher and a fellow student and wounding six others before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said.
Madison police were dispatched to the private Christian school on the city’s east side shortly before 11 a.m. after a 911 call reported an active shooter. Officers entered the building within minutes and found multiple victims with gunshot wounds in a study hall classroom that held students from mixed grade levels. No officers fired their weapons.
Police Chief Shon Barnes later confirmed that three people were dead, including the suspected shooter, and six others were injured. Early reports that five people had been killed were corrected as officials clarified the casualty count. Two of the wounded students were initially described as being in critical or life-threatening condition.
The two people killed were identified as teacher Erin West, 42, and freshman Rubi Vergara, 14. The suspected shooter was named as Natalie Rupnow, a 15-year-old freshman at the school who also went by Samantha. She was found inside the building with what authorities described as a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was pronounced dead while being transported to a hospital.
Abundant Life Christian School is a nondenominational private school serving students from prekindergarten through 12th grade, with roughly 400 to 420 students. The shooting occurred just days before the Christmas break. Roads around the campus were closed as police, firefighters and medical crews responded. A reunification center was set up nearby so parents and guardians could be reunited with their children.
Investigators recovered two handguns associated with the attack. Authorities later said both firearms had been obtained through the shooter’s father. In the months that followed, Jeffrey Rupnow was charged with providing a dangerous weapon to a person under 18 and contributing to the delinquency of a child. Court proceedings in the case continued into 2026.
Police said the motive appeared to involve a combination of factors. Detectives examined the shooter’s online activity, relationships at the school and family circumstances. Officials stressed that the investigation remained active in the days and weeks after the attack.
The shooting sent shockwaves through Madison and drew national attention. Parents raced to the area to confirm their children’s safety while emergency crews treated the wounded. Community members gathered to mourn the victims and support the injured and their families. School officials and local leaders emphasized that the trauma would affect the community long after the immediate emergency response ended.
In the aftermath, the school and surrounding neighborhood became the focus of intense investigative work as authorities interviewed witnesses, collected evidence and sought to understand how the attack unfolded. Memorials appeared near the campus as residents tried to process the loss of a teacher and a young student and the injury of several others.
The events at Abundant Life Christian School added to ongoing national discussions about school safety, access to firearms and the factors that can lead a young person to commit such violence. For those directly connected to the school, the priority remained supporting the wounded, comforting grieving families and beginning the long process of recovery.
