Source: Kory Hartman | Civic Media
Dec 16, 2024, 11:50 AM CST
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Three people were killed and at least six others were injured after a shooting at Abundant Life Christian School on Madison’s east side Monday morning, Madison police said. The shooter was one of those killed.
The shooting happened just before 11 a.m. at the school, which is located on East Buckeye Road and has about 400 students. Police said they got the call about an “active shooter.”
CBS News, citing a law enforcement source, identified the shooter as a 17-year-old girl from the school. The Associated Press was the first to report this. Police said the student apparently took her own life.
One teacher and one teenaged student were among those killed. Two students are in critical condition with life-threatening injuries and four sustained minor injuries, authorities said.
Madison Police Chief Shon F. Barnes said Monday evening that a teacher and three students were taken to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. Earlier, Madison Fire Chief Chris Carbon said some of those who were injured were taken to St. Mary’s Hospital and others were rushed to University of Wisconsin Hospital.
Barnes said on Monday evening that two of the victims were later released from the hospital.
Early Reports Said More Fatalities But Number Was Corrected
During a news conference shortly after noon on Monday, Madison police mistakenly reported that there were five people who died in the shooting. Police later updated the information to say only three people were killed and the other number reported was done so “erroneously.”
Police Continue To Investigate Shooting
Madison police said that detectives were working to determine a motive for the shooting.
At the second of three news conferences on the shooting, Barnes said that law enforcement was working tirelessly since arriving at the scene.
“I can tell you what a special place our schools are. That being said, we owe it to our community to do everything possible to ensure that it’s not only a special place, but a safe place as well and we’re going to continue to do that. So, we ask for your patience as information is coming in. We will do the best that we can to bring you accurate and timely information, but we want to make sure that our public knows that we are working extremely hard on this particular incident,” he said.
At an earlier news briefing, Barnes became emotional when sharing information about the shooting.
“This is something we all prepare for, but hope we never have to do,” he said.
He said authorities are trained to respond to such incidents.
“When officers arrived, they found multiple victims suffering from gunshot wounds. We train on this almost quarterly. The last time we trained on this as commanders was approximately two weeks ago. The protocols are simple: Stop the killing, stop the dying, find out who’s doing this. And the officers did that,” Barnes said.
Barnes said officers didn’t fire their weapons in the school.
Other Madison area schools were on a secure hold, but Barnes said authorities didn’t believe there were any threats to other schools.
“This is an ever, ever-evolving situation, and we’re trying to figure it out … the school has been through a secondary clearing. We’re doing another one now with the help of bomb dogs, just in case. We want to clear vehicles and things of that nature. So we’re going to take our time, but we’re going to go through it. We’re going to do everything that we can,” he said.
Law enforcement from all over Dane County responded, as well as federal investigators from the ATF and FBI.
Barnes expressed deep sadness at what occurred.
“My heart is heavy for my community. My heart is heavy for Madison. We have to come together as a community and figure out what happened here. And make sure that it doesn’t happen at any other place that should be a refuge for students,” he said.
Families, Students Reuniting At East Side Clinic
After helping the injured and clearing the school, authorities said they have shifted their focus to reuniting students and families. Some parents and families had gathered outside the school hoping to be reunited with their children.
Authorities said that the SSM Health Dean Clinic on the east side was where families are reuniting. The clinic, located at 1821 S. Stoughton Rd., is now closed for the rest of the day.
Police Asking Public To Steer Clear Of Area
Police are asking the public to avoid the area near the school, which is near East Buckeye Road, between Stoughton Road and Interstate 90. They said that roads will be blocked off along the 4900 block of Buckeye Road.
Dane County Emergency Management has set up a mobile command post in the area.
Madison School Officials Say Public School Classes With Resume Tuesday
Madison Metropolitan School District Superintendent Joe Gothard issued a statement Monday afternoon expressing sympathy with the Abundant Life Christian School community.
“Our hearts are heavy with profound sorrow as we stand in solidarity with our friends and neighbors at Abundant Life Christian School during this extraordinarily difficult time. We are saddened by the lives lost, injuries sustained, and the emotional and physical trauma experienced during today’s incident. We extend our deepest and most heartfelt sympathies to the school’s students, families, and staff,” he said in the statement.
He said that nine of Madison’s public schools were placed in a “Secure,” a lockdown-type setting after the shooting as a precaution, but that condition was lifted at 1:15 p.m.
District officials said during a Secure, “all students and staff are brought inside the building, and all exterior doors are locked. Classes, lunch, etc., go on as usual inside, but no one can enter or exit the building.”
Gothard said classes will continue in Madison public schools as scheduled and that “comprehensive resources” will be available to support students, families and staff.
Local Officials Pledge Support In Shooting’s Aftermath
At a news conference Monday afternoon, local and regional officials, including Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, Dane County Executive Melissa Agard, Madison Fire Chief Chris Carbon and others, spoke words of support to those affected by the shooting.
“this is an incredibly sad day for our community,” the mayor said.
Agard expressed solidarity with the school community and will support those who were affected.
“As a mom who received a text from her son at a high school here in the city of Madison, wondering if he was safe, I can tell you this hits you in the gut,” she said. “Our community is better than this. Our country is better than this. (This) cannot continue. My heart goes out to the victims and their families and the students and the educators and the list goes on and on. Every one of us is affected by this unimaginable and unacceptable violence that has hit our community today.”
Carbon said while emergency responders train extensively for these kind of situations, they hope they never occur.
“On behalf of the Madison Fire Department, our hearts are with you. Our arms are around you, and we will be with you throughout the duration of this,” he said.
“In the coming days, we are going to make sure that we are supporting those that have been most impacted by this. But folks, reach out ask for help. This does not need to be the reality of our community,” Agard said.
State Political Figures Speak Out On Incident
Wisconsin political leaders, including Gov. Tony Evers, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., each issued statements on social media saying they were monitoring the situation.
“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,” Evers said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
“My sincere condolences and prayers for all the victims of the tragedy at Abundant Life Christian School. I will continue to closely monitor the situation,” Johnson said.
“My heart goes out to all those impacted. My office is in touch with local and state officials, and I stand ready to assist law enforcement and anyone affected,” Baldwin said.
“We are in touch with local law enforcement, and will continue to monitor the situation and offer any assistance we can provide to our first responders,” Pocan said.
State Superintendent Jill Underly said our schools are meant to be safe places, and we must do more to make sure this never happens again.
Candlelight Vigil Planned Tuesday At State Capitol
Officials with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County said that they were organizing a candlelight vigil on Tuesday night at the state Capitol. The event will begin at 6 p.m.
“This gathering invites the community to come together in solidarity, reflect, and begin the journey of healing,” organizers said in the announcement of the vigil.
Among those scheduled to attend are Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway; Madison School Superintended Joe Gothard; Michael Johnson, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County; Bishop Godfrey Stubbs, End Times Ministries International; Renee Moe, the United Way CEO; and Anthony Cooper, CEO of Focused Interruptions.
School Was Founded In Late 1970s
Abundant Life Christian School was founded in 1978, according to the school’s website. It was “specifically organized to offer students academic excellence in a Christ-focused context.” It offers education for students between the grades of kindergarten through 12th grade and its students come from 200 families from “56 different churches” throughout Dane County.
Stay tuned to Civic Media for continuing coverage.
Editor’s note: Savanna Tomei-Olson, Teri Barr, Jimmie Kaska, Kory Hartman, Kathryn Lake, Melissa Kaye and David Hyland contributed to this report.
