Rupnow, who sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound, was reportedly pronounced dead on the way to the hospital, Barnes confirmed, while also questioning how the girl was able to access the gun she used to carry out the shooting. “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.

Who was Natalie ‘Samantha’ Rupnow?

Rupnow carried out the deadly shooting inside a classroom during a study hall filled with students who were from different grades. An alleged manifesto containing radical and hateful views has surfaced online with the claim that it belonged to her. However, Barnes said police have not confirmed the document yet.

“We haven’t been able to verify that it’s authentic, we’re certainly aware that it’s been posted,” he said. He added that his department is now working with the FBI to review what is written in the document.

Investigators have yet to determine a motive behind the shooting. After the shooting unfolded, a second-grader in a nearby classroom called 911 for help. Barnes said cops managed to reach the school in just about three minutes.

Barnes said that at this point, there is no indication that Rupnow’s parents committed a crime. He also addressed online rumours and speculations that the shooter was transgender, stressing that her identity was not important. Posts on X even claimed Rupnow was “taught to hate men” and called her a “disturbed feminist”. 

“Whether or not she was, he was, they were transgender is something that may come out later, but for what we’re doing right now, today, literally eight hours after a mass shooting in a school in Madison, it of no consequence at this time,” he said.

Barbara Wiers, a school official, praised students of the school, saying they “handled themselves magnificently” during the incident. She added that the tragedy “rocked our school community.”