Three dead, six injured in Abundant Life Christian School shooting in Wisconsin happymamay

A teacher and a teenage student were killed and six others were wounded in a school shooting in Wisconsin, police said.

The suspect, a teenager who was a student at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, was also among those killed, Madison Police Chief Shawn Barnes said. At least two students sustained life-threatening injuries.

“Today is a sad day not only for Madison, but for our entire country,” Barnes said. “We have to do better in our community.”

He added that the police had not determined the motive behind the shooting, and that the suspect’s family was cooperating with the investigation.

Officers responded to a 911 call of an active shooter at the Christian school around 11:00 local time (17:00 GMT).

Police say they found the shooter already dead when they arrived at the scene and no officers opened fire.

A number of injured people were also injured by gunshots and were taken to the hospital.

Mr Barnes said two students were in critical condition in hospital and facing life-threatening injuries. Four others are in hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries.

He added that the police recovered a gun from the scene. The shooting was limited to one location, but it is unclear whether it was in the classroom or in the hallway.

Officials say There is no ongoing threat to other schools or the surrounding community. The investigation remains active and ongoing.

Residents were asked to avoid the area and roads surrounding the school were closed.

A reunification center has been set up next to the school building to reunite students with their parents.

“Every child and every person in this building is a victim and will forever be a victim,” Barnes said.

He said the officers went to the scene while undergoing training at a law enforcement training center located three miles from the school.

“What started as a training day became an actual day,” he added.

The incident also prompted a large response from emergency officials. Madison Fire Chief Chris Carbone said 15 ambulances responded to calls of shots fired.

Abundant Life Christian School has approximately 400 students from kindergarten through high school.

“Please pray for the Challenger family,” the school wrote in a Facebook post.

Local city officials responded to the shooting during a news conference Monday afternoon.

“Reach out and ask for help. This should not be the reality of our community,” Dane County Executive Melissa Agard said.

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers said he was closely monitoring the incident.

“We are praying for the children, teachers and the entire Abundant Life School community as we wait for more information and are grateful to the first responders who are working quickly to respond,” Evers said in a statement on the X website.

The White House says President Joe Biden has been notified, and senior officials are in contact with local authorities.

Shootings are common in the United States, and schools are no exception.

The K-12 Violence Project, a nonprofit that works to reduce violence through accessible and actionable research, counted more than 300 shootings in 2024. This includes incidents in which a gun is brandished or a shot is fired, Or a bullet hits school property for any reason. Regardless of the number of victims.

According to the news organization EducationWeek, 38 school shootings resulted in deaths or injuries across the United States this year. There were a total of 69 casualties – including 16 deaths – before today’s shooting.