Police in Wisconsin on Tuesday were interviewing friends and family and examining the online presence of a 15-year-old girl to determine what drove her to open fire in a school classroom, killing a fellow student and a teacher before taking her own life.
The shooter, identified by police as Natalie Rupnow who also went by the name Samantha, was a student at the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital. Only about 3 percent of all U.S. mass shootings are perpetrated by females, studies show.
Police have yet to determine a motive. Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes told CNN on Tuesday that investigators are looking into online posts and a possible manifesto that the shooter may have left behind.
“We have been made aware of a manifesto, if you want to call it that, or some type of letter that’s been posted by someone who alleged to be her friend,” Barnes said.
Barnes said police are also examining her cell phone and computer to see if there were any transmissions between her and someone else. Other questions investigators are trying to answer are how the 15-year-old obtained a gun and whether her parents were negligent.
“That’s a question that we’ll have to answer with our district attorney’s office,” Barnes said. “But at this time, that does not appear to be the case.”
Two wounded students were in critical condition with life-threatening injuries, while several other victims were wounded and expected to survive.
