Police in Madison, Wisconsin, have said they are investigating a reported shooting at Abundant Life Christian School where children from kindergarten attend through to the 12th grade
At least five people have been killed and multiple others injured in a mass shooting at a school in the US state of Wisconsin, according to police.
Police in Madison, Wisconsin, said they were investigating a shooting at Abundant Life Christian School and believe the shooter was a student at the same institution. The school has students from kindergarten age all the way up to the 12th grade.
A Madison Police Department (MPD) spokesperson said on Facebook: “Multiple injuries have been reported. This remains an active and ongoing investigation. More information will be released as it is available.
“We currently need people to avoid the area. Roads will be blocked off along 4900 Buckeye Road. Drivers and community members are asked to find alternate routes in travel is needed in this area.”
According to ABC7, the shooter is “down.” According to police at least three people were shot dead and five people who suffered minor to life-threatening injuries have been transported to hospitals in the area after police administered “life saving efforts.”
Unconfirmed reports said the gunman died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Footage taken from close to the school showed law enforcement outside the building.
The MPD was alerted at about 10:57am local time to reports of an active shooting and unidentified juvenile and are still working to clear the school. The ages of the victims is unknown at this time.
A public safety alert went out at about 11:20am local time, according to NBC affiliate WMTV. The alert said: “Per Madison PD- Police activity on 4900 block of East Buckeye Road in Madison. Avoid the area.”
A local resident told the network that she heard gunshots in the area. Democrat Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers said in a post shared to X/Twitter: “I am closely monitoring the incident at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison.
“We are praying for the kids, educators, and entire Abundant Life school community as we await more information and are grateful for the first responders who are working quickly to respond.” Republican Senator for Wisconsin Ron Johnson responded to reports of the shooting with a post on X/Twitter.
“My sincere condolences and prayers for all the victims of the tragedy at Abundant Life Christian School,” he said. “I will continue to closely monitor the situation.”
MPD Chief Shon Barnes said at a press briefing today that it was a “sad day for our community.” He continued: “Today is a sad, sad, day. Not just for Madison, but for the entire country.”
According to the Gun Violence Archive, which collects shooting incident data from across the US, in 2023 there were 18,854 deaths due to “wilful, malicious, or accidental” shootings. The same database added 36,338 people were injured in shootings across the US that year.
The incident is considered to be a mass shooting in the US and is defined as a shooting where between three to five people are fatally shot. So far there have been 486 mass shooting incidents in the US this year.
