By Ryan J. Foley, Scott Bauer, and Todd Richmond, Associated Press
MADISON, WIS. (AP) — According to court documents made public Wednesday, the gunman who killed a teacher and a student at a Wisconsin religious school brought two firearms to the school and had communication with a man in California who authorities believe was preparing an attack on a government building.
Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes stated that investigators were still looking into why the 15-year-old girl at Madison’s Abundant Life Christian School shot and murdered a classmate and a teacher on Monday before shooting herself. On Wednesday, two additional students who had been shot were still in critical condition.
Barnes stated, “We will try our best to add or give as much information to our public as possible, even though we may never know what she was thinking that day.”
Meanwhile, a 20-year-old Carlsbad man was the subject of a restraining order issued by a California judge on Tuesday under the state’s gun red flag statute. Because he is an urgent danger to himself and others, the guy must turn in his firearms and ammo to the police within 48 hours, unless an officer requests them earlier.
The order claims that the guy told FBI agents that he had been messaging the Wisconsin shooter, Natalie Rupnow, about using a gun and explosives to assault a federal building. What building he had targeted and when he intended to attack are not specified in the order. Additionally, it only mentions that the individual was planning a mass shooting with Rupnow without going into depth about their conversations.
In an obituary published on Wednesday, the kid who died in Monday’s school shooting was identified as Madison resident Rubi Patricia Vergara, 14. According to the obituary, she was a freshman at the school, a voracious reader, a lover of art, and a member of the family worship band, where she sang and played keyboard. Attempts by the Associated Press to contact the girl’s relatives via email and phone on Wednesday night failed.
After first identifying the deceased teacher as Michelle E. West, the Dane County medical examiner on Wednesday night determined that she was 42-year-old Erin Michelle West. When a reporter called a number that was registered for West in public records on Wednesday night, the man who answered the phone hung up.
In a statement released Wednesday night, Barbara Wiers, the school’s director of communications, stated that Vergara had been a student since kindergarten.
Before taking a job as the school’s substitute coordinator and an in-building replacement teacher, West spent three years working as a substitute teacher, according to Wiers.
In an email to The Associated Press, Wiers stated, “These losses are heavy on our hearts.”
Police, with the assistance of the FBI, were scouring online records and other resources and speaking with the shooter s parents and classmates in an attempt to determine a motive for the shooting, Barnes said.
Police don t know if anyone was targeted in the attack or if the attack had been planned in advance, the chief said.
I do not know if if she planned it that day or if she planned it a week prior, Barnes said. To me, bringing a gun to school to hurt people is planning. And so we don t know what the premeditation is.
While Rupnow had two handguns, Barnes said he does not know how she obtained them and he declined to say who purchased them, citing the ongoing investigation.
No decisions have been made about whether Rupnow s parents might be charged in relation to the shooting, but they have been cooperating, Barnes said.
Online court records show no criminal cases against her father, Jeffrey Rupnow, or her mother, Mellissa Rupnow. They are divorced and shared custody of their daughter, but she primarily lived with her father, according to court documents. Divorce records indicate that Natalie was in therapy in 2022, but don t say why.
The school shooting was the latest among dozens across the U.S. in recent years, including especially deadly ones in Newtown, Connecticut, Parkland, Florida, and Uvalde, Texas.
But the Wisconsin shooting stands out because school shootings by teenage females have been extremely rare in the U.S., with males in their teens and 20s carrying out the majority of them, said David Riedman, founder of the K-12 School Shooting Database.
Abundant Life is a nondenominational Christian school that offers prekindergarten classes through high school. About 420 students attend the institution.
___
This story has been updated to correct the name of the teacher killed to Erin Michelle West, according to the medical examiner s office, which initially identified her as Michelle E. West. It has also been updated to correct the day the restraining order was issued against the California man.
___
Foley reported from Iowa City, Iowa.
Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!