Wisconsin school shooting: Suspect seen wearing T-shirt featuring band favored by Columbine killer in first photos

In one of the photos, Natalie ‘Samantha’ Rupnow is seen wearing a T-shirt featuring a band favored by Columbine killer Eric Harris.

Published on: Dec 18, 2024, 07:11:32 IST

By Sumanti Sen

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The first photos of the female teen who allegedly carried out a deadly shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, on Monday morning, December 16, have emerged. Natalie ‘Samantha’ Rupnow is seen wearing a T-shirt featuring a band favored by Columbine killer Eric Harris.

Suspect Natalie ‘Samantha’ Rupnow's first photos emerge (Jeff Rupnow/Facebook)

The photos of the 15-year-old suspect of the Wisconsin school shooting, who died due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound, was posted on her father’s Facebook page, New York Post found. One of them shows her at a shooting range, donning a shirt from the German band KMFDM. One of the band’s T-shirts was worn by Harris in public photos before he and Dylan Klebold brutally killed 13 people in the 1999 Columbine High School massacre.

Natalie ‘Samantha’ Rupnow is seen wearing a T-shirt from the German band KMFDM (Jeff Rupnow/Facebook)

According to Newsweek, the acronym name of the band loosely translates to “no pity for the majority.”

‘A day that I believe will live in our collective minds’

Rupnow opened fire inside a classroom during a study hall filled with students, killing a teen pupil and a teacher, and injuring six more people. Two of the wounded students are believed to be in critical condition with life-threatening injuries, according to Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes. Investigators have not yet determined a motive behind the attack.

Rupnow was reportedly a student of Abundant Life Christian School, a K-12 facility with about 400 students. Authorities reached the school within three minutes of receiving a 911 call by a second-grader in a nearby classroom, Barnes said.

Barnes called the day of the shooting “truly is a sad day for Madison and for our country.” He added, “It is a day that I believe will live in our collective minds for a very, very long time.”

School official Barbara Wiers said the incident “rocked our school community” and also praised students, saying they “handled themselves magnificently” during the shooting.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sumanti Sen
Sumanti Sen covers everything that’s happening in the US, from politics to entertainment, but her expertise lies in covering crime news. She has comprehensively chronicled the Idaho student murders, the Laken Riley and Iryna Zarutska cases, and the killing of Charlie Kirk, among other incidents. Over the years, she has interviewed several victims/families of victims of crimes seeking justice. She digs up stories that might otherwise remain unheard, and does her bit to ensure that victims and survivors’ voices are heard. Sumanti’s many years of experience also include interviews with Hamas attack survivors and mental health experts, among others. Her coverage of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and interviews with survivors of the tragedy, coupled with her other works including the Titan submersible coverage, earned her the Digi Journo of the Quarter award during her first year at Hindustan Times. Sumanti actively tracks missing person cases in the United States, and peruses Reddit and other social media platforms to bring to light cases that frequently elude public attention. She has extensively covered the disappearances of Nancy Guthrie, Thomas Medlin, Beau Mann, and Sudiksha Konanki, among others. When not at work, you will either find her with her novels, or with her beloved rescue pooches.Read More

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