Madison, Wisconsin, school shooting leaves 2 dead, 6 injured; juvenile suspect dead

At least two people were killed and six others were injured in a school shooting in Madison, Wisconsin, on Monday, with police saying the suspected shooter was found dead at the scene.

During an update Monday afternoon, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said a teacher and a teen student were killed.

Barnes said that the shooter’s family was cooperating with police. 

Police have not yet released the age or gender of the shooter.

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Barnes added that two students are still in critical condition with life-threatening injuries. A teacher and three other students were taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries, Barnes said, and two of those individuals have since been released. 

A handgun was used by the shooter and the shooting was confined to one space, Barnes said. A motive for the shooting has yet to be determined.  

“Every child, every person in that building is a victim and will be a victim forever. We need to figure out and try to piece together what exactly happened,” Barnes said. 

Barnes said all students were reunified with their parents.

Barnes said he did not believe that the school, which serves 200 students according to the school’s website, had a resource officer. It was also revealed that the school did not have metal detectors, but did have cameras and other security protocols.

Police said they train for active shooter situations “almost quarterly,” and that they had most recently conducted the training roughly two weeks ago.

At roughly 10:57 am local time, police responded to reports of an active shooter at the Abundant Life Christian School. They identified a “juvenile” deceased at the scene who they believe was responsible for the shooting. They are encouraging local residents to avoid the area.

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Barnes said officers did not fire their weapons when responding to the scene.

“This is something you prepare for, but that you hope you never have to do,” a police spokesman told reporters. “Today is a sad, sad day.”

President Biden also released a statement and said the events that unfolded in Madison were “shocking and unconscionable.

“From Newtown to Uvalde, Parkland to Madison, to so many other shootings that don’t receive attention – it is unacceptable that we are unable to protect our children from this scourge of gun violence. We cannot continue to accept it as normal. Every child deserves to feel safe in their classroom. Students across our country should be learning how to read and write – not having to learn how to duck and cover,” Biden said.

“We can never accept senseless violence that traumatizes children, their families, and tears entire communities apart.”

Biden added that he and the First Lady were “praying for all the victims, including the teacher and teenage student who were killed and those who sustained injuries.”

“We are grateful for the first responders who quickly arrived on the scene, and the FBI is supporting local law enforcement efforts. At my direction, my team has reached out to local officials to offer further support as needed,” Biden said.

Vice President Kamala Harris also issued a statement saying “senseless gun violence has once again visited our classrooms as students and teachers in Madison, WI had their last week of school before Christmas break tragically interrupted by a deadly shooting.”

“Doug and I are mourning the student and teacher who were killed and we are praying for all those who were injured, including those who remain hospitalized. We are also thinking of the young people and families who have had their lives forever changed by this act of gun violence,” Harris said.

“And we are sending our gratitude to the educators, members of law enforcement, first responders, and medical professionals who quickly and selflessly jumped into action to ensure that even more lives were not lost in this community,” she continued.

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House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., posted a statement on his X account calling the “violence in our culture” disturbing.

“Our hearts go out today to the students and faculty of the Abundant Life Christian School. The violence in our culture is disturbing, and it must be dealt with. We are praying for the families of those who lost their lives and the entire Madison community,” Johnson wrote.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers ordered the flags of the United States and the state of Wisconsin to half-staff across the state immediately until sunset on Sun., Dec. 22, 2024

“There are no words to describe the devastation and heartbreak we feel today after the school shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison this morning,” Evers said in a statement.

“As a father, a grandfather, and as governor, it is unthinkable that a kid or an educator might wake up and go to school one morning and never come home. This should never happen, and I will never accept this as a foregone reality or stop working to change it.”

Police said this remains an active and ongoing investigation and more information will be released as it is available.

The school also acknowledged the shooting in a post on Facebook, requesting prayers from the community.

“Prayers Requested! Today, we had an active shooter incident at ALCS. We are in the midst of following up. We will share information as we are able. Please pray for our Challenger Family,” the school wrote.

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A former student of the school, Aaron Nienaber, told Fox News Digital that he attended high school at Abundant Life Christian from 2000 to 2004 and was shocked and saddened to see this happen at a place he cherished. 

“It’s very sad to see this happening at a place where I have so many fond memories with the students and faculty, and especially playing on the sports teams. This is not something that anyone would have ever seen coming at this small tight-knit school and community,” Nienaber said. 

The FBI’s Milwaukee bureau says it has deployed agents to the scene to assist in investigating.