Three dead and six injured in shooting at Abundant Life Christian school in Wisconsin

A teacher and a teenage student were killed and six others were wounded in a shooting at a Wisconsin school, police say.

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said the suspect, a teenager who was a student at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, was also among the dead. At least two students have suffered life-threatening injuries.

“Today is a sad day not only for Madison, but for our entire country,” Barnes said. “We have to do a better job in our community.”

He said police had not identified a motive for the shooting and that the suspect’s family was cooperating with the investigation.

Officers responded to a 911 call about an active shooter at the Christian school around 11:00 local time (17:00 GMT).

Police say they found the shooter already dead when they arrived at the scene and no officers fired any weapons.

There were several victims with gunshot wounds who were taken to the hospital.

Barnes said two students were in critical condition in the hospital and facing life-threatening injuries. Four others are in hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries.

He said police recovered a gun from the scene. The shooting was confined to one space, but it is unclear if it was in a classroom or a hallway.

Officials say there is no ongoing threat to other schools or the surrounding community. The investigation remains active and ongoing.

Residents have been asked to avoid the area and roads around the school are closed.

A reunification center has been set up next to the school building to reunite students with their parents.

“Every child, every person in that building is a victim and will be a victim forever,” Barnes said.

He said the officers responded to the scene while receiving training at a law enforcement training center three miles from the school.

“What started as a training day turned into a real day,” he said.

The incident also prompted a huge response from emergency officials. Madison Fire Chief Chris Carbon said 15 ambulances responded to calls about the shooting.

Abundant Life Christian School has about 400 students ranging from kindergarten to high school.

“Please pray for our Challenger family,” the school wrote in a Facebook post.

Local city officials responded to the shooting during a news conference Monday afternoon.

“Reach out, ask for help, this does not have to be the reality of our community,” said Dane County Executive Melissa Agard.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said he was monitoring the incident closely.

“We are praying for the children, educators and the entire Abundant Life school community as we wait for more information and thank the first responders who are working quickly to respond,” Evers said in a statement on X.

President Joe Biden has been briefed, the White House says, and senior officials are in contact with local authorities.

Shootings are common in the United States and schools are no exception.

The K-12 Violence Project, a nonprofit organization that works to reduce violence through accessible and actionable research, has counted more than 300 shootings in 2024. These include events in which a weapon is brandished or fired, or a bullet hits school property for any reason. , regardless of the number of victims.

According to the news organization EducationWeek, 38 school shootings have resulted in deaths or injuries across the United States this year. Before today’s shooting there were a total of 69 victims, including 16 deaths.