A mother of two students who survived the Wisconsin school shooting has revealed chilling new details about gunman Natalie “Samantha” Rupnow and who may have been her potential target.
Rupnow, 15, killed a student, a teacher and then himself at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison shortly before 11 a.m. Monday. Six others were injured, two were said to be in a ‘life-threatening’ condition.
Lyndsay O’Connor, whose children were in school the day all hell broke out, shared her fear and anxiety about how much worse it could have been.
She said Rupnow walked right past her daughter Mackenzie’s classroom, even though the door was open, on her way to the study hall where she eventually opened fire.
“Mackenzie said she walked past our door; she went into that room,” O’Connor said Wisconsin now.
O’Connor speculated that the regular study hall teacher, who was not there due to a “planned absence,” may have been Rupnow’s target.
“We don’t know if her target was the original teacher or just the children in the classroom. She should have walked past the door and the door was open.”
She had high regard for the usual teacher, one who had turned the study hall into a “comforting place” with her own hand-picked students who the teacher said needed extra help, O’Connor said.
The parent of two of the survivors of the Wisconsin school shooting has revealed chilling new details about shooter Natalie “Samantha” Rupnow and who may have been her potential target
People are seen at a reunification center after a shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison
O’Connor praised the late teacher, a study hall stand-in: “The teacher died protecting her class. Many more lives could have been taken. [Rupnow] sent several rounds.”
Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes has said it is unclear whether suspect Natalie Rupnow attacked anyone specifically.
“Everyone was targeted in this incident. Everyone was in equal danger.’
Investigators are examining Rupnow’s digital footprint and are also looking into verifying a possible manifesto the 15-year-old may have left behind.
O’Connor said her daughter MacKenzie was “weirded out” by Rupnow but had tried to make friends.
‘She was very private. She wore a collared shirt, tie, jeans and combat boots,” said O’Connor, who described her style as a “weird version of preppy, not goth.”
While Rupnow is rumored to have “mourned friends” and described herself as a feudal lord, O’Connor suggested she was “very isolated” but did have something of a clique at school.
“They wore white shirts and black ties. A strange group. She didn’t have a tidy locker.”
Although it is rumored that Rupnow was “mourning friends” and described herself as a loan star, O’Connor suggested that she was “very isolated” but did have something of a clique at school.
Police tape is stretched over the doors of Abundant Life Christian School as police continue to investigate
‘[Rupnow] pounded energy drinks. Little shots of energy stuff, and she kept to herself,” she added.
She denied, despite Rupnow’s isolation and suggestions from the Madison police chief to the contrary, that the girl faced any harassment.
“I think anyone can consider anything as bullying these days, but that’s not a typical MO at that school,” she said
O’Connor theorizes that Rupnow “died a broken girl.” She died unheard, and she found solace in a group of people who did not promote good.”
The mother of two – who is a high school graduate herself – said she only heard about the shooting, which left two people dead, from a friend while she was driving.
“You have to call your kids and make sure they’re safe. There is an active shooter,” she said.
She claimed that at one point she stood up in the “crowded” basement and said a prayer: “That’s the difference between private and public schools.”
Ultimately, a call from an unknown number turned out to be her son, who was in the church sanctuary where the survivors were taken.
Police stand guard at Rupnow’s house. O’Connor, despite Rupnow’s isolation and suggestions from the Madison police chief to the contrary, denied that the girl faced any harassment
“They were in the church sanctuary and were safe and he had eyes on his sister. At that moment I could stop crying.’
Community members in Wisconsin continued to grapple with grief and call for change in the wake of the shooting.
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.
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 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.
Among the six injured on Monday, two students are in critical condition. Officials have declined to release the names of the victims.
Supporters hold candles during a candlelight vigil Tuesday outside the Wisconsin Capitol in Madison
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.
“Leave them alone,” Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said.
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 on the way to the hospital.
At the same time, firefighters arrived on the scene and began caring for the victims.
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.
The school was only a few days away from closing for the Christmas holidays and the students were getting ready for Monday night’s basketball game.