Three people were killed and others were injured Monday in a shooting at a private Christian school in Madison, Wisconsin. The shooting happened days before the Christmas break. Police said the student who opened fire was among the dead.
Here are some things to know about the shooting in Wisconsin's capital city:
WHAT HAPPENED IN MADISON?
The shooting occurred late Monday morning at Abundant Life Christian School. Names and ages of the victims were not immediately released, but Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said those killed included a “juvenile person.”
Barnes said police officers who responded did not fire their weapons. The shooter likely died by suicide, Barnes said.
The school website shows that Friday was to be the last scheduled day of classes before the holiday break.
The White House said in a statement that President Joe Biden has been briefed on the shooting and officials were in touch with local authorities to provide support. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers also has been briefed on the situation.
WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THE SCHOOL?
Abundant Life Christian School is nondenominational and has about 390 students from kindergarten through high school, according to its website.
"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," the school posted on its Facebook page. “Please pray for our Challenger Family.”
The school's website said it was founded in 1978 “to offer students academic excellence in a Christ-focused context.” The website said the school is accredited through the Association of Christian Schools International.
HAVE RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS BEEN TARGETED ELSEWHERE?
The shooting comes less than two weeks after a gunman critically wounded two kindergartners at a tiny religious school in Northern California and then killed himself. Butte County Sheriff Kory L. Honea said Glenn Litton was mentally ill and believed that by targeting children on Dec. 4 that he was carrying out “counter-measures” in response to America’s involvement in Middle East violence.
Litton, 56, gained entry to the Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventists in Oroville,, California, by pretending he wanted to enroll a fictitious grandson, Honea said. He used a handgun to shoot and critically wound two kindergarten boys, ages 5 and 6. Authorities said Litton was found dead afterward just yards (meters) from the school's playground.
It was unclear why Feather River School was targeted.
HOW MANY SCHOOL SHOOTINGS HAVE HAPPENED THIS YEAR?
The website for the anti-violence organization Everytown for Gun Safety shows that there have been at least 202 incidents of gunfire on school grounds, resulting in 56 deaths and 147 injuries, in 2024. That data doesn't include the latest shooting in Madison.
The deadliest school shooting in 2024 happened in September at Apalachee High School in Georgia. Authorities said 14-year-old student Colt Gray opened fire with a semiautomatic assault-style rifle. Four people were killed and nine more were hurt, seven of them shot. A grand jury subsequently indicted Gray and his father Colin Gray — who was accused of giving his son access to the gun — on murder and other charges. Both have pleaded not guilty.
Last year, 45 people died in 158 school shootings, the Everytown for Gun Safety website shows. Sixty-seven people died in 181 school shootings in 2022, according to the data.
