Wisconsin police investigate terrifying social media posts tied to mass school shooter Natalie ‘Samantha’ Rupnow
Investigators are examining the digital footprint of Madison, Wisconsin school shooter Natalie “Samantha” Rupnow, as well as verifying a possible manifesto the 15-year-old may have left behind.
Rupnow opened fire on children and staff at Abundant Life Christian School on Monday – it’s raining bullets in the study hall before turning the gun on herself.
While police were investigating the verification of Rupnow’s accounts, posts about her obsession with possible white supremacist ideologies and infamous past school shooters could be seen on online accounts connected to her.
Screenshots of the alleged manifesto show Rupnow as a lonely child who says she was “locked up and forced into my corner.”
The screed expressed her dissatisfaction with what she described as a broken home and referred several times to a therapist.
Rupnow reportedly describes herself as a “loner,” but admits that she “will grieve for friends, but sooner or later they will leave.”
The posted pages do not refer to any specific political ideology, but claim that ‘we need revolution’.
It ends with a quote attributed to the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski: “We finally learn that boredom is a disease of civilization.”
Investigators are examining the digital footprint of Natalie “Samantha” Rupnow, a school shooter from Madison, Wisconsin, and examining a possible manifesto the shooter may have left behind.
As police investigate Rupnow’s screed, online accounts connected to her have seen posts about her obsession with possible white supremacist ideologies and infamous school shootings from the past.
Social media portrays a more disturbed portrait, as she reportedly posted photos of Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz and Columbine “trench coat mafia” members Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold.
Another sign of a possible obsession with the Columbine massacre are previously verified photos of Rupnow wearing the shirt of German industrial rock band KMFDM.
Jeff Rupnow posted the photo to his public Facebook page in August, showing his daughter pointing a shotgun at a clay pigeon while wearing a black tank top with the band’s name on it.
Columbine killer Eric Harris was infamously seen wearing a KMFDM T-shirt prior to the 1999 Colorado high school massacre in which thirteen were murdered.
The teenage gunmen of the 1999 Columbine school massacre in Colorado were known to be avid fans of the band, and one of the killers posted the band’s lyrics on his website.
At the time, KMFDM released a statement condemning the attack, expressing condolences for the victims and affirming that the music was intended to oppose violence.
The massacre is often seen as a turning point in the era of American school shootings.
Rupnow appears to be gaining influence from neo-Nazi ideologies based on her life on social media.
Jeff Rupnow shared a photo of one of his daughters being encouraged by her father to handle and fire guns. Mr Rupnow shared a photo (above) on Facebook at a local shooting range in August
Observers noted that Rupnow’s daughter appeared to be wearing a T-shirt of the German industrial rock band KMFDM, which was especially revered by Eric Harris (pictured) and Dylan Klebold, the perpetrators of the Columbine High School massacre.
In addition to the rock lyrics, the Columbine shooters also recorded speeches by Adolf Hitler on Harris’ website.
On an X account believed to belong to Rupnow, she posted a video of a stabbing that took place in Sweden in 2015 and ended in the death of a teacher. The perpetrator is said to have targeted immigrants.
On December 13, three days before the shooting, the account shared a video of someone committing suicide at a shooting range.
The last two posts, extinguished minutes before Rupnow opened fire, showed someone giving the “OK” sign, what the Anti-Defamation League has called a white power symbol.
The second was a Google Drive link with no further description, which some speculate is the manifesto.
A Tumblr possibly connected to Rupnow shows photos of weapons and photos of previous shootings ABC News.
“Identifying a motive is our top priority, but at this time it appears the motive was a combination of factors,” Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said at a news conference.
He added: “A document about this shooting is currently circulating on social media, but we have not verified its authenticity.”
Police confirmed they spoke with Jeff Rupnow (pictured) and other family members, who were cooperative
It is unclear when the photo was taken, but Mr Rupnow did confirm that the photo was of his ‘child’. He added, in response to a friend’s comment, that he and his daughter joined a local gun club this spring and “we’ve loved every second of it!”
Police also raided the family’s home, (pictured) located eight miles from the small Christian school, on Monday evening, with SWAT teams planting stun grenades on the property.
Barnes gave no further details, saying he did not want to jeopardize the investigation.
Investigators are examining her cell phone, computer and online messages and are also looking into whether they can verify a possible manifesto the shooter may have left behind.
Some details about Rupnow’s life are beginning to emerge.
Police have confirmed the name of the street where she lived in Madison. Online records show someone named Jeffrey Rupnow lives on the same street, and a Facebook profile of Jeff Rupnow in Madison shows photos of a newborn daughter named Natalie Lynn from 2009, 15 years ago.
Jeff Rupnow’s cover photo, posted in August, shows what appears to be a teenage girl trap shooting with a shotgun at a local club.
Commenting on the site, Jeff Rupnow said he and his child joined the club in the spring and “loved every second of it.”
Rupnow could not be reached for comment.
James and Rebekah Smith, parents of a 17-year-old student at Abundant Life Christian School, reveal details about one of the victims, who they say are all family friends, as well as the shooter.
They told Fox News that Natalie “Samantha” Rupnow had only enrolled at the school this semester.
The Smiths did not know Rupnow or her family. Their daughter claimed she never spoke to anyone.
Two students remained in critical condition, while several other victims suffered less serious injuries, officials said.
Children are led away from the murder scene in an attempt to reunite with their parents. All surviving students were eventually returned to their families
Natalie “Samantha” Rupnow arrived at Abundant Life Christian School Monday morning — and just hours later, she opened fire on a study hall, killing two and wounding six others before turning the gun on herself.
Police said Rupnow used a gun but did not say how he got it. Earlier this year, the parents of a Michigan school shooter in that state were found guilty of their role in allowing their son to have access to the gun that killed him.
Wisconsin officials said at Tuesday’s news conference that it is far too early to say whether Rupnow’s parents can be held legally responsible.
Police Chief Barnes said for now it appeared that such charges were not justified.
Rupnow killed a student, a teacher and then himself at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison shortly before 11 a.m. Monday.
Police received a 911 call at 10:57 a.m. Monday morning and within three minutes, county sheriff’s deputies had arrived at Abundant Life Christian School, which serves about 420 students. Local police arrived seconds later.
At 11:05 a.m., they said they found the gunman injured and recovered the weapon. Rupnow was pronounced dead en route to the hospital.
At the same time, firefighters arrived on the scene and began caring for the victims. Two students are currently in hospital with life-threatening injuries and are said to be in critical condition.
A teacher and three other students were also hospitalized with less serious injuries. Two of them were released Monday evening.
The victims have yet to be identified pending notification of family.