A shooting at a Christian school has left at least five dead, including the suspected gunman, and five others injured.
Police swarmed Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, about 80 miles west of Milwaukee, on Monday following an on-campus shooting.
“Today is a sad, sad day not just to Madison but to the entire community and for our country,” Madison Chief Shon Barnes told reporters during a press conference.
Barnes said officers responded to reports of an active shooter at the K-12 Christian school at 10:57 am.
When police arrived, they found multiple victims suffering from gunshot wounds.
An unidentified juvenile, who investigators believe was behind the shooting, was found dead, Barnes added.
The suspected shooter is believed to be a student at the school.
Responding officers did not fire their weapons and instead rendered aid to injured victims, the police chief said.
Barnes said the injuries of the victims range from non-life-threatening to life-threatening. Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers said his office was closely monitoring the incident.
“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,” Evers said.
At the beginning of the press conference, Barnes disclosed the victim count as three dead and seven injured.
However, in the middle of the presser, the department received an update from its command post, which confirmed two of the injured victims had died.
“This is an ever-evolving situation, but just hearing that, what does that make you think? How does that make you feel?” Barnes asked.
“We have to do a better job in our community. On a Monday so close to Christmas that we’re updating victims.”
A resident whose home neighbors the school told NBC affiliate WMTV that she “heard gunshots.”
Madison Abundant Life Christian School serves approximately 200 families from 56 different churches in the Dane County area, according to the institution’s website.
