Chilling pic shows Natalie Rupnow, 15, at gun range wearing shirt ‘linked to Columbine shooters’ before school rampage
A TEEN girl who shot dead a teacher and a fellow student before turning the gun on herself at a Christian school was pictured on a gun range with a rifle, and wearing a T-shirt also worn by one of the Columbine killers.
Natalie Rupnow’s motive for the horror shooting at the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, is still unknown.
Authorities say Rupnow, 15, was dealing with issues at home and at school, and that she wrote a “manifesto” that was posted online.
Cops are investigating the writings shared by the suspected killer.
Rupnow’s parents are cooperating with the investigation, according to Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes.
A chilling photograph shared by Rupnow’s father shows her at a shooting range earlier this year.
In the picture posted by Jeff Rupnow in August, the gunwoman is seen practicing with a rifle while wearing a black T-shirt promoting the band KMFDM.
Eric Harris, one of the two Columbine school shooters, was seen wearing a similar KMFDM T-shirt ahead of the 1999 massacre that left 13 dead.
What we know…
- Three are dead after a female student shot two before turning the gun on herself in a shooting at the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin.
- The killer has been named as schoolgirl Natalie Rupnow, 15, who murdered a fellow student and a teacher as well as wounding six others, two of them critically.
- No motive has yet been given for Rupnow’s shocking actions, although cops believe she was having difficulties at school and at home.
- Cops are probing a suspected “manifesto” made by Rupnow and shared online shortly before the shooting.
- Chilling pictures of Rupnow show her on a shooting range earlier this year with a rifle, as well as wearing a T-shirt possibly referencing the 1999 Columbine massacre.
- A survivor of the Sandy Hook massacre spoke to The U.S. Sun following news of another tragic school shooting in America.
Cops recovered a 9mm pistol from the scene of the shooting.
Under the photo of his daughter holding the rifle, Jeff Rupnow responded to a comment from a friend asking if it was his daughter in the picture.
Confirming it was, Jeff added, “Joined NBSC (North Bristol Shooting Club) this spring and we have been loving every second of it.”
The NBSC is a gun club in the suburbs of Madison that offers $90 annual family memberships, according to its website.
Jeff Rupnow shared a number of photos of his daughter on social media in recent years.
In one picture, the child smiles as she poses with her dogs, while another shows her taking part in a karate competition.
Emergency crews were called to the school just before 11 am local time on Monday, December 16 to reports of a shooting.
Authorities say they found two students dead – including Rupnow – along with a teacher in a study hall in the school.
Six further students were injured – two of them critically – and were rushed to nearby hospitals.
A second-grade student called 911 at 10.57 am to report the shooting, according to police.
COLUMBINE LINK
Cops are still putting together a picture of the suspected killer as they try to find a motive for the shooting.
Female shooters carry out fewer than one in 20 school shootings in the US.
KMFDM is an industrial rock band idolized by Columbine killers Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold.
A website belonging to Harris featured lyrics by the band and speeches by Adolf Hitler.
At the time, the group released a statement denouncing Neo-Nazism and the shooting.
Abundant Life Christian School shooting timeline
On December 16, a student at Abundant Life Christian School opened fire on the private K-12 school in Madison, Wisconsin. Below is a timeline of the events that unfolded:
10:57 am – A second-grade student calls 911 to report the shooting
11:00 am – Cops arrive on the scene and immediately enter the school
11:05 am – Cops find the shooter down and recover the gun
11:14 am – School is started to be cleared
11:20 am – Public safety alert is sent out to nearby phones
11:38 pm – Madison Police Department confirms multiple people are injured
12:15 pm – Cops hold a press conference and confirm three people are dead, including the shooter, and at least six others injured
12:38 pm – Abundant Life Christian School requests prayers on Facebook
2:30 pm – At a second press conference, cops confirm the shooter was a teen who attended the school
8:30 pm – Cops confirm shooter was student Natalie Rupnow, 15, who died while being transported to the hospital