The police chief investigating a fatal school shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, has urged the public to stop speculating about the shooter’s gender identity.
Authorities responded to the shooting on Monday morning (16 December) after a 15-year-old student, Natalie Rupnow—who also went by the name Samantha—opened fire, resulting in the deaths of a teacher and a teenage pupil. Six others were injured during the incident. Rupnow later died from a self-inflicted injury.
The tragic event marks at least the 83rd school shooting in the US this year, according to CNN.
At a press conference on Monday evening, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes addressed questions about Rupnow’s gender identity.
“I don’t know whether [the shooter] was transgender or not,” Barnes stated. “I don’t think that whatever happened today has anything to do with how she or he or they may have wanted to identify. I wish people would leave their own personal biases out of this.
“Whether or not she was, he was, they were transgender is something that may come out later, but for what we’re doing right now, eight hours after a mass shooting, it is of no consequence.”
Barnes’ comments come as some right-wing commentators have increasingly used school shootings to push anti-transgender narratives. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates the transgender population at around 1.3 million adults, or approximately 0.6% of the US population.
A Washington Post analysis in March 2023 highlighted the rarity of transgender individuals being linked to mass shootings. According to Glenn Kessler, the analysis concluded that transgender people would statistically be expected to be involved in at least 16 mass shootings since 2018, yet only three possible cases have been cited by conservative media.
Chief Barnes noted that investigators are still working to determine a motive for the attack and whether the victims were specifically targeted. He underscored the gravity of the situation by recounting how a second-grade student called 911 at 10:57am to report the shooting.
“Let that soak in for a minute,” Barnes said. “A second-grade student called 911.”
President Joe Biden also condemned the attack, describing the events as “shocking and unconscionable” while renewing calls for stronger gun control measures.
“From Newtown to Uvalde, Parkland to Madison, to so many other shootings that don’t receive attention, it is unacceptable that we are unable to protect our children from this scourge of gun violence,” Biden stated.
“Every child deserves to feel safe in their classroom. Students across our country should be learning how to read and write, not having to learn how to duck and cover.”
