‘Transgender or not’? Christian school shooter identified as 15-year-old girl who died en route to hospital

The shooter who killed a teacher and a student at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wis., on Monday, and injured seven others now has been identified as Natalie Rupnow, 15, who went by the name “Samantha.”

“The shooter has now been identified as 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow, who went by the name Samantha. She was a student at the school, and evidence suggests she died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” Shon Barnes, Madison police chief, said in a statement. “The official cause of death will be released by the Dane County Medical Examiner pending the conclusion of their examination. She was pronounced deceased while in transport to a local hospital. A teacher and a teenage student were pronounced dead at the scene at that school.”

The A report in the Daily Caller News Foundation said authorities got a 9-1-1 call just before 11 a.m. on Monday from a second-grader in the school to reported the shooting.

Authorities said one student and a teacher died, but their identities were not being released immediately. Six other students and another teacher were hurt and hospitalized, with two students remaining in critical condition.

“We are still working to determine a motive. Detectives have talked to her family members this evening as well as conduct a search of the shooter’s home here in Madison,” Barnes said.

He cited a “manifesto” that has been circulating on social media and said it has not been confirmed as being linked to Rupnow.

Barnes declined to release additional details about the shooter at this time, citing Rupnow’s father.

“He lost someone as well,” Barnes said. “And so we’re not going to rush the information. We’ll take our time and make sure we do our due diligence.”

The motive remained a focal point for police.

“I don’t know why, and I feel like if we did know why, we could stop these things from happening,” Barnes said.

The shooting happened in a study hall at the school, reports confirmed.

It was the Daily Mail that reported a law enforcement source told CNN Rupnow “had been dealing with problems and expressed some of those in writings,” and those were being reviewed.

Police said they had had no previous interactions with Rupnow.

Barnes said speculation over the shooter’s possible status as a transgender person was irrelevant.

“I don’t know whether Natalie was transgender or not. And quite frankly, I don’t think that’s important at all,” Barnes said. “I don’t think whatever happened today has anything to do with how she or he or they may want to identify.”