The first photos have emerged of the teenage shooter who killed a substitute teacher and a student at Christian school in Wisconsin. In the photo she is seen wearing a T-shirt from a band associated with Columbine killer Eric Harris. Natalie Samantha Rupnow, 15, a student at Abundant Life Christian School, ended her own life after carrying out the deadly attack during a study hall session.
She died while being transported to the hospital. Rupnow also injured six others, including two students who remain in critical condition. A substitute teacher and three other students sustained less severe injuries and two of them were discharged from the hospital by Monday evening.
Face of the Child Killer
The widely shared photo of Rupnow, posted on her father’s Facebook page, shows her at a shooting range wearing merchandise from the German band KMFDM. This detail is notable as Harris had also worn a T-shirt from the same band in photos before the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, where he and Dylan Klebold killed 13 people.
According to reports, the band’s acronym, KMFDM, roughly translates to “no pity for the majority.”
Like Columbine shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, Rupnow also took her own life by turning the gun on herself after her deadly rampage on Monday.
The photo of Rupnow wearing the band’s T-shirt has sparked speculation that she may have drawn inspiration from the Columbine massacre. However, investigators are still working to determine her exact motive for the attack.
Police said that Rupnow carried a handgun onto the Madison campus and began shooting inside a classroom during study hall around 11 a.m.
Her father, Jeff Rupnow, has posted numerous photos of his daughter over the years, dating back to her birth in 2009. He is cooperating with the investigation as police work to uncover a motive for the attack and determine how the teenager obtained the firearm, believed to be a 9mm handgun.
Court records suggest that Rupnow’s divorced parents had joint custody, though she primarily lived with her 42-year-old father.
Motive Still Unclear
As of Tuesday, investigators remain focused on identifying what led to the tragic school shooting. Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes revealed that investigators are aware of a “manifesto” or a similar type of letter, that was shared by someone who knew the shooter, 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow.
“We haven’t been able to locate that person yet, but that’s something we’re going to work on today,’ Barnes told CNN.
“We’ll also be looking through (Rupnow’s) effects, if she had a computer or cell phone, to see if there are any transmissions between her and someone else, and that will give us an idea of what type planning.”
Chief Shon Barnes said that investigators are working to piece together a timeline of Natalie Rupnow’s final hours before she arrived at the school.
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He also said that the ATF has been asked to fast-track the process of tracing the firearm used in the attack and determining how the 15-year-old obtained it. Barnes noted that it remains unclear if the gun was owned or possessed by her parents.
When questioned about the possibility of the parents facing criminal charges, Barnes explained that while they are cooperating fully with the investigation, authorities are also evaluating whether any negligence occurred. At this stage, there is no indication of parental negligence.
Similar cases in recent years have seen parents charged with crimes following school shootings involving their children, including high-profile incidents in Michigan and Georgia.
