A tragic incident unfolded Monday at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, where a teenage shooter killed a fellow student and a teacher, and wounded six others. The private institution, serving around 400 students from kindergarten through 12th grade, was thrust into chaos as the shooter used a handgun to carry out the attack.
Police responded swiftly, entering the school's premises and finding the suspect dead at the scene. Authorities have not publicly identified the victims by name, age, or gender. Among the injured, two students sustained life-threatening injuries, while four others have non-life-threatening conditions.
Madison police chief Shon Barnes, a former public school history teacher, described the events as occurring just before 11 a.m. local time. \"Every child, every person in that building, is a victim, and will be a victim forever. These types of trauma don't just go away,\" Barnes said during a press conference addressing the community's grief.
Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the urgent need to prevent gun violence. \"We need to do better in our country and our community to prevent gun violence,\" she stated.
This heartbreaking incident adds to the grim statistics of the United States, with 322 school shootings reported this year, according to the K-12 School Shooting Database. Last year recorded the highest at 349, marking 2023 as the second-highest total since 1966.
Authorities are continuing their investigation, with the shooter's family cooperating with police to uncover any potential motives behind the violence.
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Teenage shooter kills student, teacher at U.S. school, police say
cgtn.com
