Teen Shooter’s Shocking Shooting Range Membership Sparks Outrage After Madison School Tragedy

Natalie Rupnow, the 15-year-old responsible for a deadly school shooting in Madison, Wisconsin, reportedly joined a shooting range months before the tragic attack. The incident, which occurred at Abundant Life Christian School, left a teacher and a fellow student dead, six others injured, and ended with Rupnow’s apparent suicide.

In a Facebook post from August, Jeff Rupnow shared a photo of his daughter, Natalie—who also went by “Samantha”—shooting skeet at the range. Jeff revealed that they had joined the range in the spring and were “loving… every second of it.” The post has since drawn attention as authorities investigate possible influences leading to the attack.

Notably, Rupnow was wearing a shirt with the logo of the German electro-industrial band KMFDM in the photo. The connection has sparked eerie comparisons to the 1999 Columbine High School shooting, as one of the Columbine shooters, Eric Harris, was also known to wear KMFDM merchandise.

During a press conference on Tuesday, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes suggested that the motive behind Rupnow’s attack was likely a “combination of factors.” However, specific details remain unclear as investigators work to understand the events leading up to the shooting.

The attack at the private Christian school shocked the Madison community, raising renewed debates about youth access to firearms and the influence of cultural and social factors on violent behavior.