December 16, 2024

• 10:50 AM Samantha Rupnow walked to a study hall and opened a fire, injuring six others including two students who were in critical condition.
• A substitute teacher and three students had been taken to a hospital with less serious injuries, and two of them had been released by Monday evening.
• A second-grade teacher called 911 to report the shooting
• 10:57 AM Officers were dispatched to the school, which is located on the city’s east side. Medics with the Madison, Wisconsin, Police Department were conducting training nearby before they responded to a school shooting on Monday, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said.
• “They left the training center immediately and came down here — and doing in real time what they were actually practicing for,” Barnes said at a news conference.
• Five engine companies, four ladder companies and 15 ambulances.
• First responders took four people to St. Mary’s Hospital and three others were taken to University of Wisconsin hospital
• “Officers located a juvenile who they believe was responsible for this deceased in the building,” Link
• The victims: a 14-year-old student, Rubi Patricia Vergara, known for her love of art and music, and a teacher whose identity has not been publicly disclosed. Among the injured, two students were critically wounded, while others sustained non-life-threatening injuries
• 12:22 P.M. Police Announces: The shooter was a student at the school and is deceased. Evidence suggests the shooter died by a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Chief Shon Barnes said at a Monday night news conference and was pronounced dead on the way to the hospital. At this time, three people have died as a result of the shooting, including the suspect. At least seven others are injuried. Their injuries range from minor to life-threatening. 
• 2:32 PM. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is on the scene of a school shooting in Madison, Wisconsin, as officials work to learn more about the gun that was used.
• ATF is running a trace on the firearm
• The shooter at Abundant Life Christian School used a 9mm pistol, according to a law enforcement source.
• 2:48 P.M. Police Briefing: At this time, three are deceased. During the media briefing earlier this afternoon, it was erroneously shared 5 were deceased. Again, three are deceased. Seven are injured. Their injuries range from minor to life-threatening. The next media briefing is at 2:30 p.m. at Fire Station 14 at 3201 Dairy Dr.
• 4:30 P.M. Police Briefing: Three people died as a result of this shooting, including the suspected shooter. The shooter was a teenage student at the school. A teacher and another teenage student also died. Two people are in critical condition with life-threatening injuries. Four people are recovering from non-life-threatening injuries. At this time, detectives are working to determine a motive. 
• 11:15 PM The Madison Police Department responded to a shooting at Abundant Life Christian School on Monday morning.
• Officers were dispatched to the school, which is located on the city’s east side, at 10:57 a.m.
• They arrived to find multiple people, both students and staff, injured. 
• Three people, including the suspected shooter, are dead.
• The shooter has been identified as 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow, who went by Samantha. She was a student at the school and evidence suggests she died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The official cause of death will be released by the Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office pending the conclusion of their thorough examination. She was pronounced dead on the way to the hospital.

Reunification is underway for parents and guardians at the Dean Clinic at 1821 S. Stoughton Road. Community members are asked to not show up to this location unless they are picking up a student. The reunification process will take some time, please be patient. The next media briefing is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at Fire Station 14 at 3201 Dairy D.

• Two people are in critical condition with life-threatening injuries. 
• Four people are recovering from non-life-threatening injuries.
• At this time, detectives are working to determine a motive. 
• Reunification is underway for parents and guardians at the Dean Clinic at 1821 S. Stoughton Road. Community members are asked to not show up to this location unless they are picking up a student. The reunification process will take some time, please be patient
• The next media briefing is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at Fire Station 14 at 3201 Dairy Dr. Three people died as a result of this shooting, including the suspected shooter. The shooter was a teenage student at the school. A teacher and another teenage student also died.

Rupnow’s family home was raided by SWAT teams following the school bloodbath – with investigators speaking to her father, who is said to be cooperating.

• 4:07 PM Mayor issued a statement on the school shooting at Abundant Life Christian School today in Madison. Link
  

December 17, 2024

• 11:56 A.M. Members of the media, questions for today’s press briefing must be submitted ahead of time. Please email cschuster@cityofmadison.com by 12:30 CST with your inquiries.
  
• The Madison Police Department is investigating a shooting at Abundant Life Christian School.
• Multiple injuries have been reported. This remains an active and ongoing investigaiton. More information will be released as it is available. 
• We currently need people to avoid the area. 
• Roads will be blocked off along 4900 Buckeye Road. Drivers and community members are asked to find alternate routes in travel is needed in this area.
• December 19, 2024: A 20-year-old Alexander Paffendorf California man was detained for allegedly planning a mass shooting at a government building in a parallel and coordinated attack with the teenage girl who gunned down two people at a Wisconsin Christian school on Monday.

Natalie Rupnow aka Samantha Rupnow was born November 7, 2009 to Jeffrey William Rupnow and Mellisa Dahleen Rupnow, she had attended Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin. Before the start of the school she changed her name from Natalie to Samantha.

• 2009 – Jeffrey changed his name from Jeffrey Thomas Tuttle to Jeffrey William Rupnow
• May 10, 2010 – Jeffrey Purchased a home 4 blocks from his moms house .
  
• 2011 – Natalie Rupnow parents first married in 2011, about two years after she was born.
• Mellissa Rupnow had been previously married and divorced, and she had another daughter with a different man to whom she was never married. Court records indicate that this girl — Natalie Rupnow half sister — had other permanent legal guardians.
• 2014 – Mellissa and Jeff Rupnow divorced for the first time in 2014, agreeing to joint legal custody of their shared daughter, Natalie, but specifying that she would live primarily with her mother.
• 2017 The couple remarried in 2017.
• October 2017 – Natalie has achieved the rank of purple belt in a martial art
  
• 2020 divorced for a second time in 2020, again agreeing to share custody but, the court records show, dividing Natalie’s time more evenly between them. During this period, Natalie would spend two days with her father, two with her mother, then three more with her father, before reversing the schedule the following week.
• Shortly after Rupnow’s parents split up for the second time, the couple remarried once more.
• April 2021 they were petitioning for a third divorce. A judge granted it a month later but noted that “parties [were] admonished concerning remarriage,”
• July 2022 – After seeking mediation to determine custody of Natalie, they agreed in July 2022 that they would share legal custody but that the girl would now live mostly with her father. By this time, Natalie Rupnow had been enrolled in therapy, which was supposed to help guide decisions about which parent she would spend weekends with, the records show.
• The 2022 custody papers said Rupnow’s parents were on cordial terms.
• “The parents report a generally positive co-parenting relationship,” the document reads, “and will continue to communicate with one another by text messages and phone conversations.”
• Natalie ‘Samantha’ Rupnow was in therapy over troubled home life that saw parents repeatedly divorce
• Custody Agreement: Natalie spending two days with her father, then two days with her mother, followed by three days with her father again in a schedule that would alternate weekly
• They attended Bethel Lutheran Church in Madison, WI
  

May 2024

• Natalie and Jeff Rupnow Joined NBSC North Bristol Shooting Club – is a gun club in Sun Prairie, a suburb of Madison

Natalie Rupnow had changed her name to Samantha before she transferred to Abundant Life. Samantha Rupnow “was very much to herself. She wore a collared shirt with a tie, jeans, and combat boots.

December 16, 2024

• Rupnow took the bus to school
• It was middle school pajama day at the school.
• Before shooting Samantha Rupnow told her teacher she had to go to the nurse

10:50 AM – 15-year-old Natalie (Samantha) Rupnow –walked past the classroom with open door on her way to the study hall where she opened fire. Samantha Rupnow opened fire. Shortly after loudspeaker warned all students of an active shooter: “This is not a drill.”

• Rupnow shot to death a substitute teacher who was running the study hall, killed a teenager, and shot another teacher and five other students. Two of the students are in critical condition

10:57 AM – Police arrived to the school after 2 ^nd grade teacher call 911

Samantha Rupnow died by a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Chief Shon Barnes said at a Monday night news conference and was pronounced dead on the way to the hospital. Multiple people have died as a result of the shooting, including the suspect. At least seven others were injured. Their injuries range from minor to life-threatening. 

Officers raided the family’s home and are sifting through a manifesto that she may have left behind. Her family is said to be cooperating with investigators, who are working with the shooter’s friends and loved ones to determine how she acquired the firearm, what led to the rampage, and whether they knew of an attack plot or had been warned of the violence that was to come. Police said they believe the attack was premeditated.

‘A document about this shooting is circulating at this time on social media, but we have not verified its authenticity.’

Rupnow was present from the start of the school day on Monday and eventually opened fire on a study hall full of students from various grades, Chief Barnes said.

Investigators believe Rupnow used a 9mm pistol to carry out her attack.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.

Investigation Timeline: December 16, 2024

• 10:57 AM: A second-grade teacher calls 911 to report gunfire inside the school.
• Shortly after: Emergency services arrive at the scene and evacuate the school. Multiple victims are found with gunshot wounds.
• Casualties:
• Deceased:
• 14-year-old student Rubi Patricia Vergara.
• A teacher (identity not disclosed).
• The shooter, Natalie “Samantha” Rupnow (15), died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
• Injured: Six others, two critically, were transported to local hospitals.
• Preliminary Autopsy: Preliminary autopsy results confirmed that she died as a result of “firearm-related trauma,” and additional testing is underway.

Investigation Timeline

• December 16, 2024: Law enforcement begins an investigation into the shooter’s motives. Reports emerge of potential bullying and indications of premeditation, including a possible manifesto.
• Officers raided the family’s home and are sifting through a manifesto that she may have left behind. Her family is said to be cooperating with investigators, who are working with the shooter’s friends and loved ones to determine how she acquired the firearm, what led to the rampage, and whether they knew of an attack plot or had been warned of the violence that was to come. Police said they believe the attack was premeditated.
• December 17, 2024: A photo surfaces showing Natalie Rupnow at a gun range wearing a T-shirt linked to the Columbine shooting, raising concerns about the influence of past school shootings.
• December 18, 2024: Authorities continue investigating the weapons used and whether they were legally obtained.
• 8:51 PM: A San Diego Superior Court Judge approved the restraining order for Alexander Paffendorf on Tuesday, December 17, at 8:51 p.m. 
• Not long after the judge signed the order, more than a dozen police cars enter the Paffendorf’s apartment complex. 
• This is a civil action, not a criminal action. But it does allow officers to seize weapons.
• December 19, 2024: A 20-year-old Alexander Paffendorf California man was detained for allegedly planning a mass shooting at a government building in a parallel and coordinated attack with the teenage girl who gunned down two people at a Wisconsin Christian school on Monday.

Community Response

• December 16, 2024 (Evening): A vigil is held in Madison, Wisconsin, to honor the victims and support their families.
• December 17, 2024: President Joe Biden and Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers issue statements of condolences and call for gun safety reforms.

• December 18, 2024 
• 8:51 PM: A San Diego Superior Court Judge approved the restraining order on Tuesday, December 17, at 8:51 p.m.
• Not long after the judge signed the order, more than a dozen police cars enter the Paffendorf’s apartment complex.
• This is a civil action, not a criminal action. But it does allow officers to seize weapons.

Paffendorf, according to the restraining order, admitted facts to FBI agents in a subsequent interview. “During an FBI interview, Paffendorf admitted to the FBI agents that he told Rupnow that he would arm himself with explosives and a gun and that he would target a government building,” reads the two-page restraining order from the Carlsbad Police Department.

The order said that FBI agents “saw the messages from Paffendorf to Rupnow.”

Paffendorf’s gun violence protective order comes two days after 15-year-old Natalie “Samantha” Rupnow entered the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, and opened fire, killing one student and a teacher before turning the gun on herself. Rupnow also shot five other students and one teacher.

• Paffendorf is due in court on January 3, 2025