'Everyone was targeted' in Madison school shooting, police say | Live updates

>> Complete coverage: Shooting at Madison, Wisconsin school

Here are the latest developments on Tuesday:

Community jumps in to help

From pizza to coffee to hugs, the Madison community stepped up to help the victims and families of the Abundant Life school community. Read about some who are helping. 

Parent: Students prayed amidst shooting incident

Lyndsay O'Connor's daughter is in 10th grade at Abundant Life and had her locker next to Rupnow. 

Complete coverage: Shooting at Madison, Wisconsin school

O'Connor said her daughter was initially put off by Rupnow, who "kept to herself," but did talk with her. Those conversations suggested Rupnow had a hard life, O'Connor said.

Her daughter said Samantha drank lots of energy drinks, kept a messy locker and had a boyfriend from Germany who she texted with.

"They talked about that a little bit," O'Connor said. "She thought it was weird. Her style of dress was odd. There were red flags ... and now looking back you can see them."

When the shooting started in a second-floor classroom used as a study hall, O'Connor said, the children initially thought it was some sort of maintenance. But all of them had been through active shooter drills and followed that protocol, she said.

In the midst of the shooting, she said, they prayed.

"The kids were crying out to God," said O'Connor, 42, who graduated from the school in 2000 and whose seventh-grade son was in the classroom below where the shooting happened.

The teacher who was killed "saved lives by shedding her own blood," O’Connor said, adding she was "very much loved by everyone."

Recovery is going to be challenging for the community,  said, noting that Abundant Life is like a family, with many of the parents people she went to school with.

Sandy Hook parent: Prevention is possible

2:45 p.m. | In a statement, the head of Sandy Hook Promise, a nonprofit that seeks to prevent gun violence, expressed support for the Madison community "as it begins to grapple with this trauma during a season meant for joy and togetherness."

“Prevention is both possible and essential," said Nicole Hockley, the group's co-founder and mother of a student killed in the Dec. 14, 2012, Sandy Hook school shooting. "In nearly all cases, warning signs emerge when someone is in crisis before an act of violence occurs. Early reports suggest there may have been potential warning signs in this case, including a possible written manifesto, troubling social media posts, and an apparent fascination with previous school shooters."

Rupnow's social media activity could "can help us better understand what types of violent content this young person may have been exposed to and what they were experiencing in their life that could have led to this terrible event," Hockley said, adding that another key question that needs to be answered is how the 15-year-old acquired a firearm.

"The answers to these questions are critical to preventing these acts in the future," she said

Female school shooters are extremely rare

2:20 p.m. | Natalie Rupnow, the 15-year-old student who killed a teacher and a teenage peer at Abundant Life Christian School Monday, is among a miniscule percentage of school shooters who are female.

Janet Hyde, UW-Madison professor emerita of psychology and gender and women’s studies, believes socialization explains the gender gap. 

Motive for shooting a 'combination of factors'

1:30 p.m. | Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said finding a motive for the shooting is a priority for police, but it seems to be a "combination of factors."  He said he would not elaborate as authorities work through the investigation.

Barnes said officers are talking to students to see whether bullying was a factor in the shooting.

Barnes said he has been asked if someone specific was targeted in the shooting. 

"Everyone was targeted in this incident, and everyone was put in equal danger," he said.

Barnes said police are working to verify the authenticity of a document several on social media have referred to as Rupnow's "manifesto." 

"The process for doing that is looking at original documents that may have been taken from the suspect's home, looking at information that may be on laptops or on computers to determine if this document originated from our suspect, any disciplinary records would be under the purview of the school," Barnes said.

Barnes thanked the people who helped the Madison community and police Monday.

"Yesterday we came together as one team, as one Madison as one country. you should feel incredibly proud of our response," he said.

Second grade teacher called police 

1:30 p.m. | Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said a second grade teacher called police at 10:57 a.m. to alert authorities to the shooting at the school, not a second grade student. The call log was misread, Barnes said. 

Police raid preceded by flash bangs, neighbors say

1:10 p.m. | Three residents in the North Side neighborhood where Natalie Rupnow lived said the police raid of the home used what sounded like flash bangs.

Tuesday morning, the door of the white, one-story home was covered by a superhero blanket and had one of its front windows blown out.

A neighbor across the street, who declined to give her name, heard two loud bangs as law enforcement descended on the home.

Madison police spokesperson Stephanie Fryer said Rupnow's father was not at home at the time and gave police permission to forcibly enter the house.

Neighbors said they knew almost nothing of the 15-year-old girl or her family, seldom seeing them outside or interacting with them.

'The world has lost a great light'

11:48 a.m. | James and Rebekah Smith’s 17 year-old daughter who is a junior has been attending the school since the second grade. The family knows every family affected by the shooting and said Tuesday that one of those killed was a freshman girl while the other was a long-term substitute teacher at the school.

The Smiths also said that Natalie Rupnow, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after the shooting, was new to the school this year and, according to the Smith’s daughter, had little interaction with other students at the school.

“She had just seen her passing in the hall once or twice,” James Smith said. 

“She’s new and she didn’t talk to anyone,” Rebekah said. “They were all talking about it like (our daughter’s) friends and her never had one conversation, but they weren’t in the same class either.”

The Smiths described the student who was shot and killed in the study hall as a freshman who was active in sports, was a voracious reader and loved to play piano.

“She was an amazing pianist,” James Smith said. “She was just an amazing young girl. Very creative. The world has lost a great light, but Heaven has gained a wonderful, wonderful soul.”

The teacher who died had children at the school who played sports, including track and field, with the Smith’s daughter.

“She’s just a phenomenal mom, very active in her church, which is another church in Madison,,” Rebekah Smith said, while fighting back tears as she stood in front of the school before a gaggle of reporters. “A very involved mom, like I run into her at the concession stand at the sport games, too. We volunteered together, too. She’s been involved ever since her daughters came to the school.”

Madison Schools reports ‘swatting’ hoaxes

11:35 a.m. | The Madison School District reported that calls were made Tuesday morning to several schools saying there was a person outside the building with a weapon. The calls were hoaxes, the district said.

The calls came in through the 988 line, which is the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Madison police were notified and determined that the calls were not credible.

Hoax threats, also called “swatting,” are more common following a school shooting and happen across the country, the district said.

The district urged people who have information about threats to school to share what they know on the Speak Up Speak Out Wisconsin hotline, which can be anonymous.

Outpouring of sympathy, news coverage

11:30 a.m. | Late Tuesday morning, dozens of reporters still stood along the street in front of the school. Sidewalks and terrace lawns were filled with clusters of TV cameras and lights on tripods.

What appeared to be a media helicopter circled overhead. Yellow police tape was strung across school entrances and even along a grove of evergreen trees bordering the school parking lot. Traffic crawled slowly along Buckeye Road.

A small shrine with about two dozen votive candles and a few bouquets of silk flowers and fresh flowers lay on the sidewalk in front of the school. The school sign outside still read “Happy Thanksgiving!”

Two members of the Billy Graham Rapid Response team based out of Charlotte, North Carolina, also stood along the sidewalk, their bright yellow or red vests in contrast to the dark winter coats of the visiting TV reporters.

The Christian team often responds to tragedies such as natural disasters and school shootings, said Chad Stillman, a chaplain coordinator who drove to Madison from Burlington, Wisconsin.

Both he and his fellow rapid response team member Brian Gonzales, of Kenosha, are former members of law enforcement, Stillman said.

“We really have a heart for the first responders who have to deal with this these things and see what they see,” Stillman said. Their organization “is faith-based, and we just want to offer a ministry of presence and try to bring people some hope in really, really dark times,” he said.

Police looking into shooter's alleged 'manifesto'

11:15 a.m. | Madison police Chief Shon Barnes told CNN Tuesday that investigators are aware of a “manifesto, if you want to call it that, or some type of letter” posted by someone who might have known the shooter, 15-year-old student 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 cellphone, to see if there are any transmissions between her and someone else, and that will give us an idea of what type planning.”

United Way establishes fund for victims

9:30 a.m. | United Way of Dane County said Tuesday it was establishing a fund for those impacted by Monday's fatal shootings at Abundant Life Christian School of Madison.

All funds raised by the Abundant Life Christian School Emergency and Recovery Fund will go directly to the school to support those impacted by the shootings.

“Our hearts go out to every student, family and educator who has been affected by this act of violence,” Renee Moe, president and CEO of United Way of Dane County, said in a statement. “While our collective reality is forever changed, United Way of Dane County stands ready to help our community recover. Please give with your hearts to support our neighbors through this difficult time. Every dollar counts.”

To give, visit www.unitedwaydanecounty.org or text help4ALCS to 40403. United Way warned to be cautious of suspicious websites and check the URL before entering personal information, and never click links in emails or texts from unknown senders.

“We are overwhelmed by the community’s support and grateful for United Way’s assistance,” Doug Butler, Abundant Life Christan School principal, said in a statement. “We will be announcing a transparent process for funds distribution once we understand clearly what is needed and how best to support our families and school.”

Call or text 211 to reach United Way of Dane County 211 to get connected to resources including mental health supports, warm winter clothes for those evacuated from the scene, finding meals, counseling services and more.

Candlelight vigil planned for Tuesday evening

The Boys and Girls Clubs of Dane County is planning a candlelight vigil on the Capitol Square at 6 p.m. Tuesday in response to the shooting. 

“As an organization dedicated to serving youth and families, we feel it is our responsibility to step forward and create spaces for connection and healing,” said Michael Johnson, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County.

Supporters are asked to gather at the Vel Phillips statue at the South Hamilton Street corner.

"The entire community is invited to attend and stand together in this time of sorrow and hope," Johnson said.

Next police briefing

Madison police have scheduled their next briefing on the shooting for 1 p.m. Tuesday.