{"id":90736,"date":"2024-12-18T10:30:10","date_gmt":"2024-12-18T03:30:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/levanews.com\/?p=45783"},"modified":"2024-12-18T10:30:19","modified_gmt":"2024-12-18T03:30:19","slug":"wisconsin-second-grader-who-survived-shooting-at-madison-abundant-life-school-speaks-out-details","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wisconsin-second-grader-who-survived-shooting-at-madison-abundant-life-school-speaks-out-details\/","title":{"rendered":"Wisconsin Second-Grader Who Survived Shooting at Madison Abundant Life School Speaks Out \u2013 Details"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><em>Another devastating school shooting in the United States has claimed lives, leaving a community in mourning. Survivors described the incident as \u201csuper sad\u201d and \u201creally scary\u201d as they reunited with their families hours later.\n<p>On December 16, 2024, Madison Abundant Life Christian School in Wisconsin became the scene of a deadly shooting. A second-grader who courageously called 911 later recounted the harrowing experience.\n</p><p><img loading='\"lazy\"' decoding='\"async\"' class='\"alignnone' size-full wp-image-45794 aligncenter src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/echowoven.com%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2024%5C/12%5C/462565304_616662020925246_5227561909760797264_n.png%5C%22" alt='\"\"' width='\"992\"' height='\"575\"' title='\"\"'>\n</p><p>The school addressed the tragedy on its Facebook page, acknowledging the active shooter situation and requesting prayers from the community. They pledged to provide updates as more details emerged.\n</p><h3>Lives Lost and a Shocking Revelation\n</h3><p>Authorities confirmed that the shooting claimed the lives of a student, a teacher, and the shooter herself\u201415-year-old Natalie Rupnow, who was also known as Samantha. Rupnow died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound while being transported to the hospital.\n</p><p>During a press briefing, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes shared that Rupnow, who was enrolled at the school, had planned the attack. Investigators are examining her writings for insights into her state of mind and interviewing her family to understand the circumstances leading to the tragedy.\n</p><p><img loading='\"lazy\"' decoding='\"async\"' class='\"alignnone' size-full wp-image-45795 aligncenter src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/echowoven.com%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2024%5C/12%5C/462584808_894304789353963_5429957412828369025_n.png%5C%22" alt='\"\"' width='\"992\"' height='\"697\"' title='\"\"'>\n</p><h3>A Young Hero and Swift Actions\n</h3><p>Chief Barnes highlighted the bravery of a second-grader who made the critical 911 call during the shooting. \u201cTo me, it makes my heart skip a beat to think about that,\u201d he said. \u201cWe teach our kids that if something is wrong, they should call 911, and this child did exactly that.\u201d\n</p><p>The student, who was likely in a separate room from the shooter, followed emergency training and acted decisively. Teachers also responded quickly, initiating lockdown procedures and guiding students to safety.\n</p><p>Barnes stressed the importance of preparedness, urging parents to teach their children to follow the instructions of adults in such situations. He emphasized the need to find a hiding spot, seek cover, or use objects for protection if necessary.\n</p><p style='\"text-align:' center>\n</p><h3>The Shooting&rsquo;s Toll\n</h3><p>The attack occurred during a study hall that included students from different grades. Six individuals were injured. Two students remain in critical condition, while three other students and a teacher are expected to recover. Of these, two have already been released from medical care.\n</p><h3>A Parent\u2019s Nightmare\n</h3><p>Madison native Bethany Highman, who once attended Abundant Life Christian School herself, recounted how she first learned of the shooting. Her mother, who lives nearby, called to alert her to the large police presence at the school.\n</p><p>\u201cShe had like an inside source kind of tell her, and I just bolted down [sic],\u201d Highman explained. She rushed to the scene and contacted her husband but was unable to enter the school. Instead, she went to her mother\u2019s house to await news.\n</p><p style='\"text-align:' center>\n</p><p>Highman learned through her sister that her children were unharmed, but she hadn\u2019t yet been reunited with them and didn\u2019t know their exact whereabouts. Reflecting on the ordeal, she said, \u201cI pray with my kids every morning that this won\u2019t happen, and it\u2019s the world that we live in.\u201d Despite the tragedy, she expressed gratitude for her family\u2019s safety.\n</p><h3>Survivors Share Their Experiences\n</h3><p>Among those who endured the tragedy was the Grange family\u2014siblings Gideon and Ezra, who reunited with their mother, Brit, hours later.\n</p><p>Gideon described the principal\u2019s announcement of a lockdown as unsettling, \u201cI didn\u2019t think much of it, but then it got really serious, and it was super sad. It kind of freaked everybody out.\u201d He left the school without his coat, recalling the chaos as \u201ccrazy.\u201d\n</p><p style='\"text-align:' center>\n</p><p>Ezra, his sister, remembered hearing \u201cgunshots and screaming.\u201d Though terrified, she reassured others that she was feeling better after the long wait to reunite. During the ordeal, she texted her mom through her watch to let her know she was safe.\n</p><p>Brit expressed her relief, saying, \u201cThere\u2019s no better feeling than knowing your kids are safe. My heart goes out to the families that aren\u2019t that fortunate right now because we know them and love them.\u201d\n</p><h3>A Child\u2019s Courage\n</h3><p>One of the most remarkable acts of bravery came from 8-year-old second-grader Nora Gottschalk, who made the life-saving 911 call.\n</p><p><img loading='\"lazy\"' decoding='\"async\"' class='\"alignnone' wp-image-45793 aligncenter src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/echowoven.com%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2024%5C/12%5C/Anh-thumbnail-bai-dang-web-4-125-1.png%5C%22" alt='\"\"' width='\"970\"' height='\"507\"' title='\"\"'>\n</p><p>Nora had been in the hallway preparing for lunch when the shooting began. In an interview, she described witnessing a teacher she knew being injured, saying, \u201cShe was screaming, \u2018Ah! My leg! Help, help!\u2019\u201d\n</p><p>Clutching a SpongeBob candy, Nora shared her emotions: \u201cI was really scared, and I was really sad.\u201d\n</p><h3>A Community in Mourning\n</h3><p>Abundant Life Christian School, with its close-knit community of around 420 students spanning kindergarten through high school, is known for its familial bonds. Parents and administrators have long described it as a place where everyone knows each other.\n</p><p style='\"text-align:' center>\n</p><p>As the survivors begin to heal, the community\u2019s support will be essential in navigating the long road to recovery. This tragedy serves as a somber reminder of the challenges faced by schools across the nation and the resilience of those left behind.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"</p><p>Another devastating school shooting in the United States has claimed lives, leaving a community in mourning. Survivors described the incident as \u201csuper sad\u201d and \u201creally scary\u201d as they reunited with their families hours later. On December 16, 2024, Madison Abundant Life Christian School in Wisconsin became the scene of a deadly shooting. A second-grader who &hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":90737,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[670],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-90736","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90736","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=90736"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90736\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":90741,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90736\/revisions\/90741"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/90737"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90736"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=90736"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=90736"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}</p></em></strong></p>