Source: Kory Hartman | Civic Media
Dec 18, 2024, 8:16 PM CST
The two people killed in the fatal shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison earlier this week were identified on Wednesday night.
The Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the two as student Rubi Patricia Vergara, 14, of Madison, and teacher Erin Michelle West, 42, of DeForest.
West and Vergara were both pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting and autopsies were completed in the past two days. The Medical Examiner’s Office reported that preliminary results of the examinations confirm both died as a result of “homicidal firearm related trauma.”
According to the Gunderson Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Vergara was a freshman at the school.
Besides the two deaths, six others were wounded in the shooting. Police said the suspect shot eight people before authorities got to the school, located in the 4900 block of East Buckeye Road, on the city’s east side shortly before 11 a.m.
Of those who were injured, two people are still hospitalized and in critical condition. Police said they have “life-threatening injuries.” Four others — three students and a teacher — are expected to recover. Two of the injured victims were sent home from the hospital on Monday night and the other two have also been released.
The shooter, identified as Natalie “Samantha” Rupnow, 15, also died in the incident. Rupnow, a freshman at the school and a Madison resident, was found at the scene and died at a local hospital from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.
In terms of the investigation of Rupnow’s death, the Medical Examiner’s Office said “additional testing is underway at this time.”
In a news release issued Wednesday night, officials said the Medical Examiner’s Office and the Madison police are continuing to investigate the three deaths.
The funeral home noted that Vergara’s funeral will be held on Saturday at City Church in Madison.
Police Continue To Investigate Shooting
Police released more details on Wednesday night about the shooting as their investigation continues.
They said the shooter apparently opened fire in a second-floor classroom during a study hall for mixed grades. A person outside of this classroom was struck by a bullet that entered an adjacent room.
Two guns were recovered from the school, but investigators said only one was used during the shooting. Police said the ATF has traced the weapons and shared the information with the Madison police, but they aren’t sharing the information publicly so as not to jeopardize the investigation.
Police also said that detectives are still looking into the motive for the shooting. They have looked at the shooter’s social media activity and collected evidence from her home.
Authorities are asking anyone who might have interacted with Rupnow “in the days and weeks leading up to the shooting” to reach out. They said that the public can share information anonymously through Madison Area Crime Stoppers at p3tips.com or by calling 608-266-6014.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: California Man Detained For Alleged Connection
Authorities have detained a 20-year-old California man “on suspicion of coordinating a mass shooting at a government building in conjunction with the Madison school shooter,” the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Wednesday night.
The newspaper’s story cites court records obtained by a local CBS TV affiliate in San Diego.
Private School Has More Than 400 Students
The Abundant Life Christian School was founded in 1978, according to the school’s website. Officials said the school offers classes for kindergarten through 12th grade and currently has more than 400 students.
Stay tuned to Civic Media for continuing coverage.
Editor’s note: The original version of the story misidentified the name of one of the victims as “Michelle E. West” when her name is actually Erin Michelle West. The Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office released a news release with the wrong name and has since issued a corrected news release. The story has since been corrected.
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