A juvenile student killed a teenage student and a teacher at a Wisconsin school before police found the suspect dead at the scene of the latest shooting in a U.S. campus.
At least six other persons were wounded, according to police, who said children were among the dead and wounded in the shooting, which took place in the state capital of Madison.
Police said that the injuries “range from minor to life-threatening.”
Earlier, police said five people were killed in the shooting, but later said that information was incorrect.
The shooting took place at Abundant Life Christian School, a private institution that teaches some 400 students from kindergarten through 12th grade, the Madison Police Department said.
The police department said in a written statement that at least three people were killed in the incident, including the suspected shooter, who was identified only as a juvenile student at the school.
The shooter was found dead inside the school when police arrived.
At least six persons were transported from the scene to area hospitals, police said in a written statement.
Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said the shooting took place just before 11 a.m. local time.
“Today is a sad, sad day, not only for Madison, but for our entire country, where yet another police chief is doing a press conference to speak about violence in our community,” Barnes told mediapersons.
Barnes added: “Every child, every person in that building, is a victim, and will be a victim forever. These types of trauma don’t just go away.”
Video posted from the scene on social media showed a massive emergency response, including police, ambulance and fire vehicles.
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers posted on X, ” I am closely monitoring the incident at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison.”
He added, “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.”
Gun control and school safety have become major political and social issues in the U.S. where the number of school shootings has jumped in recent years.
According to the K-12 School Shooting Database website, 322 school shootings were reported in the U.S. this year.
That is the second highest total of any year since 1966, according to that database – topped only by last year’s total of 349 such shootings.
The epidemic of shootings has afflicted public and private schools alike in urban, suburban and rural communities.
Some have taken place in Christian schools.
In March 2023, a former student at Covenant School, a private academy in Nashville, killed three children and three adults before being shot dead by law enforcement officers.
Earlier this month, two students aged 5 and 6 were shot at Feather River Adventist School near Oroville, California, by a gunman.
The gunman later died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
