The person suspected carrying out a shooting at Abundant Life Christian School, a private Christian school in Madison, Wisconsin Monday was a juvenile and a student at the school, Madison Chief of Police Shon Barnes said during a press briefing.
According to Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes, officers responded to a call of an active shooter at the school just before 11 a.m. When officers arrived, they found “multiple victims suffering from gunshot wounds.”
At least three people were killed people were killed and seven people were transported to nearby hospitals with injuries ranging from minor to life-threatening, Barnes said. The Madison Police Department clarified that their reports of five killed were incorrect.
One of those killed was the suspect, Barnes said, who was a juvenile and a student at the school.
According to Barnes, the suspected shooter was found by police deceased and “in the building.”
Barnes did not provide further information on others who were killed or injured.
“This is something that we all prepare for, but we hope we never have to do,” Barnes said, during the update. “We’re still going through methodically clearing that school, clearing every vehicle and making certain that there’s no other threats to this community, which we believe there are none.”
Madison police are expected to provide another update later Monday afternoon.
In a message posted to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers said he was monitoring the situation and “praying for the kids, educators, and entire Abundant Life school community as we await more information and are grateful for the first responders who are working quickly to respond.”
Where is Abundant Life Christian School?
Abundant Life Christian School, founded in 1978 is a private Christian School located at 4901 East Buckeye Road in Madison, Wisconsin. It has about 390 students, from kindergarten through high school, according to its website.
Photo and video from the scene showed a heavy police response, with multiple fire trucks and police cars surrounding the school, with some roads in the area closed. According to WMTV15, a public safety alert was sent out to nearby phones around 11:20 a.m.
A 12:38 p.m. post from the school’s Facebook page said the school had an “active shooter incident.”
“Please pray for our Challenger family,” the post went on to say.
This is a developing news story that will be updated as more information becomes available.