A teacher and a student were killed after a teenager shot a handgun on Monday at a Christian school in Wisconsin, in the US.
According to the Associated Press (AP), Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said the shooter also injured six others at Abundant Life Christian School, including two students who were reportedly in critical condition.
The attacker was a 17-year-old girl who also studied at the school, and was killed by a self-inflicted gunshot.
Someone from the school called 911 to report an active shooter shortly before 11 am, first responders then rushed to the school. They arrived 3 minutes after the initial call. Police blocked off roads around the school, and federal agents were at the scene to assist local law enforcement. No shots were fired by police.
A teacher and three students had been taken to a hospital with less serious injuries, and two of them had been released by Monday evening.
“Every child, every person in that building is a victim and will be a victim forever. ... We need to figure out and try to piece together what exactly happened,” Barnes was quoted by AP.
Barbara Wiers, director of elementary and school relations for Abundant Life Christian School, handled the situation "magnificently”. The school regularly practices safety routines during which the leaders always announce that it is a drill. On Monday, they heard ‘Lockdown, lockdown’ and the students realised “it was real”, she added.
As per the AP report, a 17-year-old cannot legally possess a firearm, with a few rare exceptions. Investigators believe the shooter used a 9mm pistol, an official said.
Abundant Life is a nondenominational Christian school from prekindergarten through high school — with approximately 420 students. Wiers told AP, that while the school does not have metal detectors but uses other security measures including cameras.
The motive behind the shooting was not immediately known, but Barnes said they were talking with the parents of the suspected shooter and they were cooperating. He also said he didn’t know if the people shot had been targeted.
This is the latest in a number of school shootings in the US. Firearms were the leading cause of death among children in 2020 and 2021, AP cited KFF, a nonprofit organisation that researches healthcare issues.
However, school shootings have ignited intense debates about gun control and heightened anxiety among parents whose children are growing up practising active shooter drills in their classrooms. However, school shootings have had little impact on national gun legislation.