Natalie "Samantha" Rupnow arrived at Abundant Life Christian School on Monday morning, and just hours later, she opened fire in a study hall, killing two people and injuring six others before taking her own life. Police identified the 15-year-old as the shooter at the private school in Madison, Wisconsin, and said the attack appeared to have been planned in advance.
A law enforcement source told CNN that Rupnow had been struggling with personal issues for some time and expressed some of those thoughts in her writings that authorities are now reviewing. Meanwhile, a manifesto, which police have not yet confirmed is connected to Rupnow, has gone viral on social media.
Struggling with Personal Issues
Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said that Rupnow, who went by the name Samantha, had been at the school since the start of the day. She later opened fire on a study hall filled with students from multiple grades.
Police confirmed that Rupnow had not been on their radar earlier, and there were no prior interactions with law enforcement. Barnes added that investigators are working to determine which grade she attended at the school, which has children from preschool through high school.
When officers arrived on the scene, Rupnow was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead while being transported to a nearby hospital.
Barnes also revealed that a second-grade student had placed the 911 call alerting authorities to the shooting.
It has not been confirmed whether Rupnow's family, who are cooperating with the investigation, owned any firearms. Authorities are looking into anything she may have left behind.
Barnes said that investigators are currently in contact with the shooter's father at one of their facilities, and he is cooperating. He also stressed that there is no indication that the family will face any criminal charges.
"He lost someone as well. And so we're not going to rush the information, we'll take our time and certainly do our due diligence," Barnes said.
The bloodbath resulted in three fatalities - one student, one teacher and the shooter - and six others were transported to area hospitals just days before Christmas break.
Chilling Details Emerge
Just hours before Rupnow was named as the suspect in Monday's mass shooting in Madison, a social media user claimed to have spoken with the 15-year-old's alleged boyfriend.
The social media user, identified as @Slatzism, said that they had a conversation with Rupnow's supposed boyfriend, who allegedly shared a manifesto. Authorities are currently working to verify the authenticity of the document and the claims surrounding it.
"He has very graciously provided me the full manifesto, which I verified by having him screen record himself opening it from a direct link the shooter sent to him via WhatsApp. I told him I would do my best to dispel some of the misinformation and present things as truthfully as I was given them, and I will hold myself to that," the user said on X.
Slatzism clarified that the person claimed to be Rupnow's boyfriend knew her by the name Samantha, not Natalie. The manifesto attributed to her was titled "War Against Humanity."
"In her manifesto, she spoke about having extremely difficult relationship with her parents. She also claims her family didn't love her or want her, and expresses feeling like the "wrong child" of her family. She says she had planned to commit suicide a long time ago, but felt committing a shooting was "better for evolution rather than just one stupid boring suicide," the tweet read.
However, cops said that police have not yet verified the authenticity of the document.
