Investigators were investigating Tuesday the reason for a school shooting in Wisconsinin which a teacher and a student died, and which left two minors in critical condition.
Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said investigators were aware of a “manifesto, if you want to call it that, or some type of letter” posted by someone who may have known the attacker, 15-year-old student Natalie Rupnow.
“We haven’t been able to locate that person yet, but that’s something we’ll work on today,” Barnes told . “We will also look at (Rupnow’s) belongings, whether she had a computer or a cell phone, to see if there is any communication between her and anyone else, and that will give us an idea of the type of planning.”
Police officers responding to the shooting Monday at Abundant Life Christian School found Rupnow had a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The attacker died on the way to the hospital.
Police said the shooting occurred in a study room. In addition to the deaths, six people were injured, including two students who remain in critical condition.
Abundant Life is a nondenominational Christian school—preschool through high school—with approximately 420 students, located in Madison, the state capital.
Barbara Wiers, director of school relations and basic education at the school, said that when they practice safety routines, leaders always announce that it is a drill. That didn’t happen on Monday, the last week before the Christmas holidays.
“When they heard, ‘lockdown, lockup,’ they knew it was real,” she said.
Wiers said the school does not have metal detectors, but uses cameras and other security measures.
Barnes said police were already speaking to the attacker’s father and other family members, who were cooperating, and were searching her home.
”He lost someone too,” Barnes said of the father. “So we are not going to rush the information. “We will take our time and make sure we do our job diligently.”
Rupnow’s parents, who are divorced, shared custody of their daughter, but she lived primarily with her 42-year-old father, according to court documents.
At the school, the first 911 call to report an active shooter came in shortly before 11 a.m. Monday. First responders, training about 3 miles away, rushed to respond to a real emergency, Barnes said. They arrived three minutes after the initial call.
Investigators believe the attacker used a 9mm pistol, an agent told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.
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