A teacher and student were killed at a private school in Wisconsin on Monday after a person identified by authorities as a teenage student at Abundant Life Christian School opened fire.
Six people were injured and the suspected shooter was killed, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes told reporters.
Here’s what we know about the shooting:
When did the shooting happen?
Authorities were dispatched to a report of an active shooter at Abundant Life Christian School, east of downtown Madison, at 10:57 a.m., Barnes said. The 911 call was made from Abundant Life, he said.
At the time of the shooting, Barnes said, officers had been training to respond to similar scenarios.
“So what began as a training day became an actual thing,” he said.
Where did the shooting happen?
The private school, east of downtown Madison, was founded in 1978 and teaches kindergarten through 12th grade to roughly 335 students.
It isn’t clear if the shooting was in a classroom or a hallway, Barnes said, but it was confined to one space.
The crime scene remained on lockdown, he said.
Who are the victims?
A teenage student and a teacher were fatally shot, Barnes said. He has not provided additional details about them.
Two of the injured students are in critical condition, and four were recovering from non-life-threatening injuries, he said.
Who is the shooter?
Barnes identified the suspected shooter as a teenage student at Abundant Life. He has not named the person, nor did he provide a manner of death or a possible motive in Monday’s shooting.
The shooter was dead when authorities arrived, the chief said. A handgun was recovered from the school, Barnes said, but he did not provide additional details about the weapon.
How are officials responding?
Hours after the shooting, President Joe Biden pressed Congress to pass gun reform legislation, including universal background checks and a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
“From Newtown to Uvalde, Parkland to Madison, to so many other shootings that don’t receive attention — it is unacceptable that we are unable to protect our children from this scourge of gun violence,” Biden said in a statement. “We cannot continue to accept it as normal.”
“Thoughts and prayers without action means more school shootings, more dead kids. More ACTION is needed by our elected officials, said Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis, who also provided location details for a reunification site and a phone number for people who need help.
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis. offered his “condolences and prayers for all the victims of the tragedy at Abundant Life Christian School.”
He added that he would continue to closely monitor the situation.
