Updated December 16, 2024 at 17:12 PM ET
A shooter armed with a handgun opened fire at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wis., leaving at least three people dead and six more injured, police said Monday.
A teacher and a student were killed, and two students currently face life-threatening injuries.
The suspect was among those found dead after the shooting, which began shortly before 11 a.m. at the school, which houses students from kindergarten through high school.
(NPR member station Wisconsin Public Radio is tracking local updates here.)
Police Chief Shon Barnes says the suspect, a teenage student at the school, was found dead — believed to be by a self-inflicted gunshot. Barnes said police did not fire their weapon and the campus did not have a police school resource officer.
Four additional students have non-life threatening injuries.
"But these are just the physical injuries that we know about," Barnes said in an afternoon press conference. "We know that this was the middle of a school day so there will be other injuries we have to face for a long time."
He said his department would not rush to "interrogate" students in the wake of the shooting, as officers wanted to give the children time to process the incident.
Barnes said that it was still unclear what the shooter's motive was, but the suspect's family was so far cooperating with the investigation. The police department is in the process of conducting interviews and obtaining search warrants.
"But I think we can all agree that enough is enough and we have to come together to do everything we can to support our students. To prevent press conferences like these from happening again, and again and again," he said.
Officials said they would not yet disclose identifying information about the shooter— including their grade, gender or exact age — while the investigation continues.
Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said White House officials had been briefed on the shooting and offered their support. She said that for now, her primary focus is on supporting the victims and their families in the coming days and weeks.
"I am on record that I think that we need to do better in our country and our community to prevent gun violence," Rhodes-Conway said. "I hoped this day would never come to Madison."
Rhodes-Conway urged anyone dealing with mental health struggles to seek the help and support they need.
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers said he is "closely monitoring the incident."
In a post on X, he wrote, "We are praying for the kids, educators, and entire Abundant Life school community as we await more information and are grateful for the first responders who are working quickly to respond."
Before Monday's shooting, there had been at least 81 school shootings in the United States in 2024, according to a CNN analysis.
According to the school's website, Abundant Life Christian School focuses on providing a "quality Christian education" to the some 200 families represented in the student body.
In a post on its public Facebook page, the school requested prayers in the wake of the violence.
"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."
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