The mayor of Madison becomes angry at a press conference about the school shooting

The mayor of Madison becomes angry at a press conference about the school shooting

The mayor of Madison, Wisconsin, expressed anger at a news conference Tuesday over the shooting at a private Christian school that left a teacher and a student dead and six others injured, some seriously.

“It is absolutely none of your business who was harmed in this incident,” Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway told reporters, asking about the identities of the victims.

“Please show some human decency and respect to the people who have lost loved ones or been hurt themselves or whose children have been hurt,” she said.

According to police, 15-year-old student Natalie Rupnow opened fire at Abundant Life Christian School shortly before 11 a.m. local time on Monday. Rupnow died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.

As of Tuesday afternoon, two students were in critical condition. Of the four others taken to nearby hospitals, two were still being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said at a news conference.

Police officers are shown at the scene of a shooting Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin. Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ORG XMIT: MJS2412161310040007 (via OlyDrop)

Police officers are shown at the scene of a shooting Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin. Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ORG XMIT: MJS2412161310040007 (via OlyDrop)

The mayor’s pointed response came at the end of a tense news conference, just over 24 hours after her city about 80 miles from Milwaukee was rocked by the second school shooting this year.

“I don’t know how many times I can say this: We will pass on good, factual information when we can. None of you are obliged to stay here. You are free to leave. You don’t have to sit there.” “If you don’t want to, go into this room,” she said, after being asked several times about the victims and other unanswered questions, including how the school monitors bullying.

“Just have some people with some common decency. Leave her alone. Let them grieve. Let her recover. Let them heal,” she said. “Don’t feed on their pain. We share what we can, when we can, and not before. Thank you very much.”

Officials said Tuesday they were still working to determine the motive for the shooting and where the teenager got the handgun used in the attack. Authorities searched the suspects’ home and spoke with their family members, who cooperated with investigators, Barnes said.

Asked whether charges could be filed against the suspect’s parents or anyone else, the mayor replied: “We don’t know nearly enough yet.”

Contributors: Hannah Kirby, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Madison mayor upset with reporters at school shooting press conference

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