A student opened fire at a school in Wisconsin on Monday, killing at least two people and injuring several others before apparently taking their own life, authorities said, BBC reported.
Shon Barnes, the police chief of Madison, the state capital, confirmed at a press briefing that three people had died at Abundant Life Christian School, a private Christian institution with around 400 students.
The deceased included a minor believed to be the shooter, though Barnes did not provide details on whether the victims were students, staff, or others. Seven people were taken to the hospital with injuries ranging from minor to life-threatening.
This tragic incident adds to the growing list of school shootings in the United States, where firearms outnumber people, and efforts to regulate gun access continue to face political gridlock.
Reflecting the disturbing regularity of such events, Barnes noted that some medical personnel responding to the shooting had just completed training for mass casualty situations.
Police were called to the scene shortly before 11:00 AM. Upon arrival, officers found multiple victims with gunshot wounds and discovered a deceased juvenile inside the building, who they believe was the shooter.
Barnes stated, “We believe the shooter was a student at the school,” and added that officers did not discharge their weapons.
The White House confirmed that President Joe Biden had been briefed on the incident, and Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers expressed his concern, stating he was "closely monitoring the situation."
Evers also offered thoughts and prayers to the students, educators, and the entire Abundant Life community, while thanking the first responders for their swift actions.
A police spokeswoman initially reported five dead and five injured, but later clarified that those numbers were inaccurate. According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been at least 487 mass shootings in the US this year, with over 15,998 fatalities from gun violence.
This latest tragedy follows other high-profile school shootings, such as the September attack in Georgia, where a 14-year-old killed four people, and the May 2022 Uvalde shooting, which claimed the lives of 19 students and two teachers.
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