Tipsheet

What Is Going on With Madison Police Botching Details of the Christian School Shooting?

It’s already bad that there was another school shooting. It’s compounded by the comedy of errors that have emanated from local law enforcement regarding the details of this crime. Yesterday, a teenage girl opened fire at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin. Two people were killed, with another six injured. The shooter later killed committed suicide. The shooting occurred in one room, and the suspect was dead when police arrived. 

Police Chief Shon Barnes then played an unnecessary game with the media. He botched the death toll—the initial reports were that five people were killed. Then, he refused to release the shooter’s gender. We learned later that it was a female, which would leak no matter what. The reasoning behind not disclosing this detail was also laughably ridiculous. And now, the report that it was a second-grade student who dialed 9-1-1 when shots were fired has been corrected. It was a second-grade teacher who called for help.

The Madison police announced they would no longer be taking questions at further press conferences on this subject. Are you kidding me? 

The shooter was later identified as 15-year-old Natalie "Samantha" Lynn Rupnow.