Wisconsin school shooting’s youngest survivors reveal terror as cops investigate Natalie Rupnow’s ‘manifesto’

The youngest survivors of a school shooting in Madison, Wisconsin, have revealed their terror and panic after watching a teacher get shot in front of them.

Natalie ‘Samantha’ Rupnow, 15, opened fire on kids and staff at Abundant Life Christian School on Monday – raining bullets in the study hall before turning the gun on herself.

One student and one teacher were pronounced dead, but horrified children as young as eight have recounted the bloody massacre that happened in front of their eyes. 

Rupnow died in an ambulance on the way to hospital after being found on the scene with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. 

Police last night raided her family home eight miles away from the school, with SWAT teams deploying stun grenades on the property. 

Rupnow may have left behind a chilling manifesto, which investigators are now sifting through – but are yet to confirm its validity. 

Nora Gottsckalk, eight, was in the hallway before 11am, getting ready for lunch, when she saw a teacher she knew well injured in the unhinged gunfire.

‘She was screaming, “Ah my leg, help, help,”‘ the young girl told CNN affiliate WISC as she grasped a Spongebob ice cream, after being reunited with family. 

Sixth-grader Alder Jean-Charles (right) also told how he was attending English class when at the small Christian school when he heard two gunshots

‘I was really scared, and I was really sad,’ she said.

Sixth-grader Alder Jean-Charles also told how he was attending English class when at the small Christian school when he heard two gunshots ring out.

He recalled: ‘Some people started crying and then we just waited until the police came and they escorted us out. I was scared. Why did they do that?’

Students who survived the shooting were taken to hospital to be reunited with their parents, and when Alder was reunited with his two brothers, they all cried and prayed together, his mother Mireille Jean-Charles said.

When asked whether she was okay, the mom shook her head and broke down into tears.

Mireille Jean-Charles said: ‘It’s sad, you know, to be home and when somebody calls you and says your kids’ school is in lockdown and a shooting, and you don’t know where they are. 

‘Thank God they were safe, but the trauma – it’s a lot because I’m sure they lost friends and teachers, which is not okay.

‘And I don’t think they’ll be okay for a long time.’

Mourners have gathered at nearby Blackhawk Church gather to pray for victims and survivors

The victims – including the two dead students – have yet to be identified, pending family notification

Police received a 911 call at 10:57am Monday morning, and within three minutes, county sheriff’s deputies arrived at the school which educates about 420 students.

Local police arrived seconds later as fire department workers got to the scene and began to care for the victims. 

At 11:05am, they said that they’d found the shooter wounded and recovered the weapon. Rupnow was pronounced dead en route to the hospital. 

Currently, two students are hospitalized with life-threatening injuries and are said to be in critical condition. 

A teacher and three other students were also hospitalized with less serious wounds. Two of them were released Monday evening.

Victims have yet to be identified, pending family notification. 

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said that a second-grade student was the one who called 911 to the school. 

A law enforcement source told CNN that Rupnow ‘had been dealing with problems and expressed some of those in writings, which they are now reviewing.’ 

A manifesto, that cops have not confirmed is linked to the teen, was published on social media. 

The shooter’s home was raided by SWAT teams on Monday. Pictured: A broken window at the property 

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said that a second-grade student was the one who called 911 to the school

The teenage school shooter’s neighborhood was swarmed by cops following the massacre in Madison, Wisconsin, on Monday afternoon.

Local residents recalled that at least 10 police cars and a SWAT truck arrived at the 15-year-old’s home on Delaware Boulevard, which is eight miles from the Abundant Life Christian School.

Stun grenades were thrown into the property, causing ‘flash bangs’ to ring out across the street. One neighboring resident told NBC that he and his wife went into the basement during the raid.

The home’s main door had been removed, and the windows damaged, according to CNN affiliate WTMJ.

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said the suspect’s home had been searched on Monday – and police are seeking additional search warrants.

Cops also confirmed that shooter Rupnow was not on their radar and had no prior interactions with her before Monday, though they said a probe would confirm that. 

The shooter, who went by the name Samantha, opened fire on a room full of students from various grades, according to Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes.

It is not yet confirmed if Rupnow’s family – who are cooperating with the investigation – were gun owners. 

‘The parents are fully cooperating, we have no reason to believe that they have committed a crime at this time,’ Barnes said, before offering empathy for her father.

‘He lost someone as well. And so we’re not going to rush the information, we’ll take our time and certainly do our due diligence.’

Speaking about the alleged manifesto, Chief Barnes told the press conference on Monday night: ‘A document about this shooting is circulating at this time on social media, but we have not verified its authenticity.’ 

The chief also waded into online speculation over the shooter’s gender or possible status as a transgender person.

The community in Madison are still reeling from the tragedy, as several victims remain hospitalized

Stun grenades were thrown into the deceased shooter’s property, causing ‘flash bangs’ to ring out across the street

Students on the grounds of Abundant Life Christian School following the shooting

Young children are seen at the school on Monday

Barnes slammed speculation over Rupnow’s gender on social media after he was asked about it.

‘I don’t know whether Natalie was transgender or not. And quite frankly, I don’t think that’s important at all,’ he said.

‘I don’t think whatever happened today has anything to do with how she or he or they may want to identify.’ He added that it didn’t really matter for the time being and that it was ‘just not helping.’

‘For what we’re doing right now, today, literally eight hours after a mass shooting in a school in Madison, it is of no consequence at this time (what gender the shooter was),’ he said.

He also claimed that he had no knowledge of any previous interactions with Rupnow: ‘I think if there were, we certainly would have had some type of intervention, but I’m not aware of that.’

Governor Tony Evers said on X: ‘I am closely monitoring the incident at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison.’

‘We are praying for the kids, educators, and entire Abundant Life school community as we await more information and are grateful for the first responders who are working quickly to respond.’

Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson said on X: ‘My sincere condolences and prayers for all the victims of the tragedy at Abundant Life Christian School. I will continue to closely monitor the situation.’

The school was just days away from closing for Christmas Vacation and students were gearing up for Monday night’s basketball game.

Abundant Life Christian School posted a prayer request on Facebook in the wake of the shooting. 

‘Today, we had an active shooter incident at ALCS. We are in the midst of following up. We will share information as we are able,’ the school said. 

President Joe Biden was briefed on the school shooting. Senior White House officials said they are in touch with local counterparts in Madison to provide support.

Mourners have gathered at nearby Blackhawk Church gather to pray for victims and survivors. 

Cops confirmed that shooter Rupnow was not on their radar and had no prior interactions with her before today, though they said a probe would confirm that.