Madison school shooting; vigil held for victims
MADISON, Wis. - Hundreds gathered for a vigil at the Wisconsin State Capitol on Tuesday, Dec. 17, to honor the lives that were lost in the fatal shooting at Abundant Life Christian School that happened the day before.
15-year-old Natalie Rupnow, who went by the name "Samantha", has been identified as the suspected shooter. She died in the shooting, along with a teacher and another student. Six others were injured.
One student said she was right next door when the shooting happened and that her life was forever changed.
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"Everything was normal until that happened. Like we were all just in class like usual then we heard it," 10th grade student Naomi Allen said. "There was only one room between my classroom and the room the shooting took place in, so we heard the gunshots pretty clearly. I think some of us might have been able to hear voices or, at least, I couldn't process them."
There were two heart crosses that people were able to sign for the two deceased victims.
While two injured have been released from the hospital, two others are still fighting for their lives.
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"Most of us were crying, me included, I'm not ashamed to say that," Naomi Allen said. "Our teacher, she was talking to us very quietly, like whispering. She prayed over us, which helped me."
Candlelight vigil for victims of Madison school shooting
"It was weird, it was surreal," said Jay Allen, her parent. "It was a text that no parent ever wants to see on their phone. It was terrifying. I got the text, I didn't have any details on what was going on, she just said she was safe."
The vigil was hosted by the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County. It ended in prayer and song.
Madison school shooting, police chief issues correction
A school shooting in Madison left three people dead, including the suspected shooter, and six others wounded on Monday morning.