MADISON, Wis. — Community members in Wisconsin continued to grapple with grief and call for change in the wake of the school shooting killed a teacher and a student and injured six others.
Several hundred people gathered outside the Wisconsin State Capitol Tuesday night for a vigil honoring those killed at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison the day before, some passing candles to each other and standing close in the winter chill.
Among those present was 16-year-old Naomi Allen, who was in a nearby classroom Monday when a 15-year-old girl attacked people in a study hall before fatally shooting herself.
“It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are, something like this can happen. There is nothing that can exempt anyone,” Allen said at the vigil.
Allen’s father, Jay Allen, reflected on the dangers students face today.
“When I was in school, these things never happened,” he said. “At some point this country has to take mental health seriously and we have to put resources into it. We really need some changes in the way we deal with this problem.”
The motive for the shooting appears to be a “combination of factors,” Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said Tuesday as he urged the public to call a tip line and share what they may know about the shooter.
He did not provide details on what that motive might be, although he said bullying at Abundant Life Christian School would be investigated. He also said police are investigating writings that may have been written by the shooter, Natalie Rupnow, that could shed light on her actions.
“Identifying a motive is our top priority, but at this time it appears the motive is a combination of factors,” Barnes told reporters.
Two students among the six people were injured on Monday remain in critical condition. Officials have declined to release the names of the victims.
“Leave them alone,” Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said.
The school shooting was the latest among dozens in the US in recent years, including mostly fatal cases Newtown, Connecticut; Parkland, FL; And Uvalde, Texas.
The shootings have sparked heated debates over gun control and frayed the nerves of parents whose children are growing up accustomed to active shooter drills in their classrooms. But school shootings have had little impact on the nation’s gun laws.
School shootings by female teens have been extremely rare in U.S. history, with males in their teens and twenties carrying out the majority of shootings, said David Riedman, founder of the K-12 School Shooting Database.
Abundant Life is a non-denominational Christian school – from kindergarten to high school – with approximately 420 students. Barbara Wiers, the school’s director of elementary and school relations, said the school does not have metal detectors but uses cameras and other security measures.
Barnes said police were talking to the shooter’s father and other family members, who were cooperative, and searching the shooter’s home.
The shooter’s parents, who are divorced, shared joint custody of their child, but the shooter primarily lived with her 42-year-old father, according to court documents.
Investigators believe the shooter used a 9mm handgun, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.
Madison resident Cristian Cuahutepitzi said he attended Tuesday’s vigil to let the victims’ families know “we are thinking of them.” He said his uncle’s two daughters go to school.
“They’re still a little shocked,” he said.
Joe Gothard, the superintendent of the Madison Metropolitan School District, said at the vigil that the tragedy occurred less than two blocks from his childhood home. He said it wasn’t enough to say the district would work on safety.
“We need to connect every day like we did tonight, and pledge to know we are there for each other, hopefully to prevent avoidable tragedies like yesterday,” he said.
A prayer service was also held Tuesday evening at City Church Madison, which is affiliated with the school
Several of the school’s teachers prayed out loud one by one during the service, speaking into a microphone and standing in a line. One high school teacher asked for courage, while another sought help to soothe her own soul.
“God, this is not an Abundant Life Christian School tragedy,” said Derrick Wright, the church’s youth pastor. “This is a tragedy for the community. This is a national tragedy.”
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Associated Press writers Alanna Durkin Richer, Ed White, Josh Funk, Hallie Golden and Ryan Foley and photographer Morry Gash contributed to this report.