Wisconsin school shooting: Emergency call was first made by a second-grader, police chief says 'Let that soak in'
A second-grader reported the Wisconsin school shooting, leading police to respond swiftly to the scene.
A group of Wisconsin police officers had gathered on Monday for a training session focused on responding to mass trauma events. However, late in the morning, their plans were abruptly interrupted when a second-grade student called 911 to report an active shooting at a nearby school in east Madison, sending officers into immediate action.
Police officers receive a distress call from a second-grader
Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes revealed that the emergency call they got about the school shooting was from a child who would not be more than 7 or 8 years old. He said, “They left the training centre immediately and came down here – doing in real time what they were actually practising for,” as reported by CNN.
Upon their arrival at the Abundant Life Christian School, where the shooting took place, officers immediately provided life-saving measures to people who survived gunshot wounds during the shooting. Officers observed that a teenager and a teacher were shot dead while six other children were injured at the hands of the 15-year-old attacker who was identified as Natalie Rupnow. The attacker who also attended the song was also found dead along with a handgun.
The police chief revealed that the child who called 911 just before 11:00 a.m. local time (17:00 GMT) was in the second grade. Barnes remarked to reporters, “Let that soak in for a minute,” as reported by BBC. As of now, the motive behind the attack remains unclear, with the next police press conference scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. The victims of the shooting are yet to be identified along with the child who made the emergency call.
Updates on the investigation into the shooter
It is believed that Rupnow died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound given no shots were fired by the officers. The police chief shared that she attended the school before her attack on Monday. The shooting was confined to a study hall which was filled by students from different grades.
When asked about some texts found online which are suspected to be written by Rupnow, Bernes said, “We haven't been able to verify that it's authentic. We're certainly aware that it's been posted and the person who posted it alleged to have a connection, adding that the information has been shared by the FBI.
Rupnow's family has been assisting with the investigation, and reports by local media indicate that a property north of Madison was raided on Monday.
