3 dead, several injured at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison

Three people are dead, including a suspected teenage shooter, and at least six others were injured and taken to hospitals after a shooting Monday at a K-12 Christian school in Madison.

During a news conference at 12:30 p.m., Madison police incorrectly reported that five people were killed and five were injured. After the press conference, they issued two updated press releases stating that three people were actually dead, but gave conflicting information about the number of injured victims. A press release said six people were injured, while another said seven were injured. A Madison police spokeswoman did not respond to calls.

Shortly before 11 a.m., police responded to an active shooter call at Abundant Life Christian School, 4901 E. Buckeye Road. They found a dead teenager with a gunshot wound, said Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes. He did not provide any information about the youth’s age or gender.

The suspected shooter was a student at the school, Barnes said.

Barnes also did not provide the age and gender of the injured victims, but said their injuries ranged from minor to life-threatening.

“My heart is heavy for my community. My heart is heavy for Madison,” Barnes said. “We need to come together as a community and figure out what happened here and make sure it doesn’t happen in any other place that should be a haven for students in our community.”

Police officers did not fire their weapons, Barnes said.

Roads along 4900 Buckeye Road are closed. Police urged people to avoid the area. Police are working to clear the school and ensure there are no further threats.

The school has approximately 335 students enrolled in kindergarten through 12th grade. It shares a 28-acre campus with the Campus for Kids Learning Center, a program for toddlers through 4-year-old kindergarten, and the nondenominational town church.

A Journal Sentinel reporter at the scene observed parents running to a nearby SSM Health emergency room and clinic to retrieve children, some of whom were in car seats. It was located at 1821 South Stoughton Road and served as a meeting place for parents. Ambulances were periodically seen leaving the school premises.

Mother Bethany Highman said her daughter goes to school at Abundant Life. Highman declined to give her daughter’s name or age. She said she made a quick video call to her child earlier in the day to check she was OK. She wasn’t sure about the next steps, but said she wanted to support her daughter through community and prayer. “Your world stops for a minute. Nothing else matters,” she said. “We just wait and pray.”

Nearby schools and hospitals are responding after the shooting

According to the Madison Metropolitan School District, La Follette High School and Sennett Middle School are on a safe standby due to the shooting. Barnes said there is currently no threat to Madison public schools.

Agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were present at the scene. Barnes said he is also in contact with the FBI.

A spokesperson for UW Health said its hospital in Madison “is receiving patients from today’s shooting at Abundant Life Christian School and areas have been set up for patient families.” She said Madison police will provide further updates.

This morning, the Green Bay Area Public School District announced on social media that police are investigating possible shooting threats at two of its four high schools. By midday, three suspicious individuals had been identified and it was determined there was no ongoing threat. The police are still actively investigating.

The school is asking for prayers following the shooting

Abundant Life’s official Facebook page released a short statement. The school said it was “in the midst of following up” after the shooting and said it would “share information as we are able.”

“Please pray for our Challenger family,” the school said.

Abundant Life was founded in 1978 with 30 students with the mission to “educate young men and women in the development of Christian character and academic excellence.” Today, students come from approximately 200 families and 56 different churches in Dane County.

Another press conference with more details was scheduled to take place around 2:30 p.m

Politicians react to shots

Gov. Tony Evers confirmed the shooting in a statement and said his office was monitoring the situation.

“We are praying for the children, educators and entire Abundant Life school community as we wait for more information and are grateful to the first responders who responded quickly,” Evers said.

U.S. Senator Ron Johnson responded to the X shooting: “My sincere condolences and prayers go out to all the victims of the tragedy at Abundant Life Christian School. I will continue to monitor the situation closely.”

And Democratic U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan responded to a message from U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden on X, saying in part: “Support better gun laws or stay out. Thoughts and prayers are useless. Act!”

State Commissioner Jill Underly made her second school shooting statement in seven months. As she emphasized in her first statement at Mount Horeb, she reiterated: Schools should be safe places.

“Our hearts are heavy with great sadness as we mourn the senseless loss of life in yet another school shooting,” Underly wrote Monday. “No community should ever have to endure the pain of losing children, teachers or friends to violence – especially in our schools.”

It underscored the need to “do more to protect our children and educators” and to present a future “in which senseless acts of violence are no longer a reality.”

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