In yet another shooting incident that is likely to raise a question mark on the US gun laws, a teenage student opened fire with a handgun in a Wisconsin school killing a teacher and another teenager while injuring six others. The shooter girl also died in the incident. Two students are critical after the shooting incident that took place at Abundant Life Christian School. The shooter was a 17-year-old female student.
Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said that a teacher and three students had been taken to a hospital and are stable while two of them had been released by Monday evening. The incident comes close to Christmas, sending shockwaves across the city with families in mourning. “We have three people who have lost their lives. Two of those people, or persons, were pronounced dead at the scene and one while on the way to the hospital. Of the six injured and taken to local hospitals, two students remain in critical condition. Their injuries are life-threatening. A teacher and three other students were taken to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. Two of those victims, two of those survivors, have been released from the hospital,” he said.
“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 told AP.
The police reported that the shooter was found dead from an apparent suicide when officers arrived at the scene. Barnes refrained from providing details about the shooter, citing respect for the family. In Wisconsin, with limited exceptions, it is illegal for a 17-year-old to possess a firearm. Barnes mentioned that investigators might be able to share additional information about the shooter during another press conference scheduled for later on Monday.
A motive for the shooting was not immediately known, but Barnes said they’re talking with the parents of the suspected shooter and they are cooperating. He also said he didn’t know if the people shot had been targeted.
Investigators believe the shooter used a 9mm pistol, a law enforcement official told the Associated Press. The incident is the latest in a long string of school shootings across the US, including particularly devastating tragedies in Newtown, Connecticut; Parkland, Florida; and Uvalde, Texas.
These shootings have sparked intense debates over gun control while leaving parents increasingly anxious as their children grow up practising active shooter drills in classrooms. Despite the heightened concerns, school shootings have done little to prompt significant changes to national gun laws. According to KFF, a nonprofit organization focused on healthcare research, firearms were the leading cause of death among children in both 2020 and 2021.
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