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A manifesto is circulating on social media reportedly written by Natalie Rupnow, the 15-year-old student who opened fire at Abundant Life Christian School in Wisconsin on Monday.

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said authorities were aware of the document but were unable to verify its authenticity. “We couldn’t verify if it was real. We are fully aware that it was posted and the person who posted it is alleged to have a connection to the victim,” Barnes said.

He said authorities have not located the person who posted it but have passed information on to the FBI.

The X user, formerly of Twitter, who posted the manifesto on his account said he received it from Rupnow’s friend. Newsweek asked the user for comment via direct message.

According to screenshots published on X, the author identified herself as Samantha Rupnow. Police said Rupnow went by that name.

In the manifesto entitled “War on Humanity,” the author writes that they “have grown to hate people and society” and calls their parents “scum.”

The author also writes that they acquired weapons “through lies and manipulation and my father’s stupidity,” and describes how they wanted to die by suicide, but the feeling of carrying out a shooting was “better for evolution than just a stupid, boring suicide.”

Why it matters

Rupnow was identified as the shooter at a press conference on Monday evening.

When officers arrived at the school, she was found with a self-inflicted gunshot and died on the way to a hospital, Barnes said. She was a student at the school, which has about 400 students from kindergarten through 12th grade.

The manifesto – if it is authentic – could provide information about the shooter’s motive. Barnes said Monday that a motive for the shooting was not immediately known and that it was not clear whether the victims were targeted.

The shooting is the latest at a school in the United States and comes less than two weeks after a gunman opened fire at a Christian school in California. According to Everytown for Gun Safety, there have been at least 200 shootings on school grounds this year, resulting in 58 deaths.

Particularly deadly shootings have sparked debates about gun control and ensuring school safety, but have had little impact on national gun laws.

What you should know

Barnes said officers arrived at the school around 11 a.m. Monday in response to a 911 call from a second-grader.

A teacher and another teenager were killed in the shooting in a school classroom. Rupnow also injured six other people, including two students who were in critical condition, police said.

A teacher and three other students were taken to a hospital with less serious injuries, but two of them were later released.

What people say

Tony Evers, Governor of Wisconsin said on X: “I am directing that flags across the state be immediately lowered to half-staff to honor those whose lives were senselessly taken in this tragedy.”

President Joe Biden said in a statement: “We need Congress to act. Now. From Newtown to Uvalde, from Parkland to Madison to so many other shootings that go unnoticed, it is unacceptable that we cannot protect our children from this scourge of gun violence. We can’t do that.” Continue to accept it as normal… Congress Must Pass Common Sense Gun Safety Laws: A National Red Flag Law. A ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. We can never accept senseless violence that traumatizes children. their families and tears entire communities apart.”

Trish Kilpin, the director of the Office of School Safety at the Wisconsin Department of Justice, said during Monday’s press conference: “Targeted violence is avoidable. When someone chooses to use violence, it is often to deal with an anger or grievance, and they forge a path toward that violence, and when they do that, they often study previous school shootings. That’s why I’m begging him.” You are all responsible for how we report this. We don’t want to give a manifesto to future people who are thinking about solving their crisis with violence.

What’s next?

Barnes said investigators spoke with the shooter’s father and other family members on Monday and searched the shooter’s home.

The school was monitored by police overnight. “No one is permitted to enter the school grounds at this time,” the police said in a press release.