Three people are dead and nine others injured after a shooting Monday at a private Christian school in Wisconsin, including a child who had unleashed the attack, authorities said.
Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes offered no details on the victims following the 10:57 a.m. shooting at Abundant Life Christian School, a 28-acre facility that includes a daycare center as well as Kindergarten through 12th grade, in Madison.
"Every child, every person in that building is a victim and will be a victim forever," Barnes said.
Barnes said police officers who responded to the school did not fire their weapons. He said medics who responded to the school had been in the middle of a training session at the time.
Investigators believe the shooter — who has not been identified — used a 9mm pistol, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.
On its website, the school said it was founded in 1978 as “a community Christian school, with its first graduating class in 1985.”
Approximately 200 families from 56 different churches in the greater Dane County area, including metropolitan Madison and its surrounding communities, are represented in the student body.
The school posted on Facebook that they are seeking prayers, just nine days before Christmas.
“Today, we had an active shooter incident at ALCS. We are in the midst of following up. We will share information as we are able. Please pray for our Challenger Family,” the post read.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said he 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,” he added.
Wisconsin State Superintendent Jill Underly said the community is in mourning.
“This tragedy is a stark reminder that we must do more to protect our children and our educators to ensure that such horrors never happen again,” she said in a statement. “We will not rest until we find solutions that make our schools safe, and so our children feel secure.”
Agents from the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also responded to the scene to assist local law enforcement.
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Clemente Lisi is the executive editor of Religion Unplugged. He previously served as deputy head of news at the New York Daily News and a longtime reporter at The New York Post. Follow him on X @ClementeLisi.