At least three people were killed and several others were injured when a shooter opened fire on Monday at a private Christian school in Madison, Wisconsin, law enforcement said.
The shooting was reported in the morning hours at Abundant Life Christian School, a kindergarten through 12th grade school with approximately 200 families.
"This is an incredibly sad day for our community," Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said. "As you've heard, there is no danger to our community at this time, but our entire community has been impacted by this tragic incident."
Here's what we know about the shooting so far, including details released by police, background on the school and reaction from officials:
What happened?
A student at the school killed two victims and injured six others in the final week before Christmas break. The shooter also died.
Officers found multiple gunshot wound victims after responding to an active shooter call at the school at 10:57 a.m., including an unidentified juvenile who Barnes said could be the shooter. No officers fired their weapons during the incident.
Local
Police said five people were killed, but later updated the figure to reflect three people died, including the shooter. According to authorities, two victims - a teacher and teenage student - died in the shooting.
Six others, all students, were transported to area hospitals in varying conditions, Barnes said. Two students were listed in critical condition with life-threatening injuries, while four others were said to have sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
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Barnes said the shooting was confined to one space, but didn’t specify whether it was a classroom.
Who is the shooter?
Among those killed was a juvenile, who police "believe was responsible" for the shooting, the police chief said. The juvenile, who was a student at the school, was found deceased in the building. As of Monday afternoon, authorities weren't releasing the student's age or gender.
The shooter's family was cooperating with investigators following the shooting, the police chief said.
Motive unknown
Barnes didn't immediately provide additional details about the suspected shooter, including a possible motive. According to Barnes, police were working to find out “as many answers as we can” while interviewing witnesses and obtaining search warrants to obtain additional information.
"Please understand, there are many things that we cannot share with you right now," County Executive Melissa Agard said. "This is an active investigation. This is an active case."
Abundant Life Christian School background
Abundant Life Christian School is a faith-based school consisting of approximately 200 families from dozens of churches on Madison's East Side. ALCS, which consists of students in kindergarten through 12th grade, was founded in 1978 to "offer students academic excellence in a Christ-focused context," according to its website.
The school posted about the shooting in a Facebook post, asking for prayers.
"Prayers Requested! Today, we had an active shooter incident at ALCS," the post read. "We are in the midst of following up. We will share information as we are able. Please pray for our Challenger Family."
The school's campus spans 28 acres that serves as one of three Impact Christian Schools campuses. Its website also said that it has approximately 335 students.
Likely weapon used
Investigators believe the shooter used a 9mm pistol, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.
Massive law enforcement response
Several local law enforcement agencies, including the Dane County Sheriff's Office, the Wisconsin State Patrol and the Winona Police Department, responded to the scene. Barnes, Madison's police chief, said he received calls from federal agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms as well as the FBI.
What officials have said
In a social media post, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said, "I am closely monitoring the incident at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison. We are praying for the kids, educators, and entire Abundant Life school community as we await more information and are grateful for the first responders who are working quickly to respond."
U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, wrote, "My sincere condolences and prayers for all the victims of the tragedy at Abundant Life Christian School. I will continue to closely monitor the situation."
President Joe Biden has been briefed on the shooting, White House Senior Deputy Press Secretary Emilie Simons said. Senior White House officials were "in touch with local counterparts in Madison to provide support as needed."
U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, who represents the area, said on social media that his office was aware of reports of a shooting.
"We are in touch with local law enforcement, and will continue to monitor the situation and offer any assistance we can provide to our first responders," he said on social media.
