On December 16, 2024, at approximately 10:57 a.m., Natalie Rupnow—a 15-year-old freshman at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin—opened fire during a K–12 study hall, striking both students and staff. She killed a fellow student and a substitute teacher, wounded six others (two critically), and then died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound before emergency services could intervene.
Police arrived at the school around 11:00 a.m. after a second-grade teacher called 911, and entered the building within minutes. Officers discovered that Rupnow had carried two handguns, though only one was fired during the attack.
Investigators recovered a six-page document she allegedly authored titled “War Against Humanity,” in which she expressed hatred for people she saw as weak or hypocritical and referenced admiration for school shooters. Her online activity revealed a pattern of alienation—posts reflecting resentment toward her father, accusations of bullying, and images including a shirt similar to one worn by one of the Columbine shooters.
Rupnow’s weapon access came from her father, who had provided her with the safe code and reportedly allowed her to remove and clean one of the guns the day before the shooting. In May 2025, he was formally charged with two counts of providing a dangerous weapon to a minor and one count of contributing to her delinquency, carrying potential prison time.
The Abundant Life Christian School shooting involved a student targeting her own classmates in a school she attended. It exposed deep warning signs: manifestos, prior emotional distress, firearm access granted by a parent, and a school environment unprepared for internal violence. The tragedy prompted renewed conversations about parental responsibility, mental health intervention, school access protocols, and how to spot escalating ideation before an attack.
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