The tragic shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wis., has left a community grieving and searching for answers. Authorities have identified 15-year-old Natalie “Samantha” Rupnow as the shooter in this horrific event, which claimed the lives of a teenage student and a teacher, injured six others, and ended with Rupnow taking her own life.
Rupnow carried out her attack at approximately 11 a.m. on Monday during a study hall. Armed with a handgun she reportedly obtained by manipulating her father, she opened fire. Police responded within three minutes, but Rupnow died on the way to the hospital from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Based on the information that is now available, it appears that Rupnow was a recent transfer to the school. There were rumors on social media that the shooter identified as transgender, but those are not true.
I was the first to break the news that the deceased mass shooter at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisc. is a 15-year-old girl named Natalie Lynn Rupnow. Here's what I discovered: https://t.co/Pxp1xFGIAD
— Andy Ngo 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) December 17, 2024
Instead, her beliefs were reportedly rooted in radical feminism. Her extreme ideology took center stage in a manifesto and social media posts that outlined her hatred for men and her intent to carry out the attack. It is being reviewed by police, who have not yet authenticated it.
The manifesto titled “War Against Humanity” first appeared on an X account allegedly tied to Rupnow before the attack. In it, she expressed extreme hostility toward males, advocating their “total extermination.”
Journalist Andy Ngo revealed that Rupnow allegedly previewed the manifesto on Discord, where she denounced men, insisted that “women are the only hope for this wretched world,” and criticized women who “internalized patriarchy.”
Reduxx journalist Anna Slatz published six pages of the document, which she received from a source claiming to be Rupnow’s online boyfriend. The alleged manifesto detailed her intention to commit a mass shooting and then take her own life.
"It’s disgusting,” the document read. "I realize the truth [that] men are irredeemable [...] They cant [sic] be reformed or redeemed. Theyre [sic] a f***ing scourge upon the earth. The only solution is to total [sic] exterminate them [...] Every single male must be wiped out, from babies to the elderly. Only then can women be free to create a new world."
Based on the manifesto, she specifically targeted males in the school.
"ill [sic] be a pioneer," the manifesto read. "ill [sic] be the first to take the first step. i dont [sic] care if theyr [sic] fathers, brothers, husbands, sons, teachers, police, and especially n***ers or politicians. ive [sic] been craving to kill them all."
I have made contact with the alleged boyfriend of the Wisconsin shooter.
— pagliacci the hated 🌝 (@Slatzism) December 16, 2024
He has very graciously provided me the full manifesto, which I verified by having him screen record himself opening it from a direct link the shooter sent to him via WhatsApp.
I told him I would do my… pic.twitter.com/CeuOeQLn3h
Much of the manifesto focused on her strained relationship with her divorced parents, whom she called “scum” and “failures.” Rupnow accused her father of alcoholism and her mother of drug addiction, recalling an overdose incident when she was 12. Court records show that Rupnow frequently shifted between residences due to her parents’ contentious custody arrangements, living primarily with her mother until their third and final divorce, after which she resided mostly with her father. She attended therapy sessions aimed at determining weekend custody.
According to Ngo, Rupnow’s online activity revealed a fascination with school shooters and death, particularly the Columbine massacre. She idolized mass killers, frequently referenced violent song lyrics linked to Columbine shooter Eric Harris, and engaged with graphic content on forums like WatchPeopleDie.TV. Her digital footprint also included playlists and posts glorifying violence and suicide, as well as admiration for Turkish neo-Nazi attacker Arda Küçükyetim, whom she called a “saint.”
Her manifesto also contained deeply hateful and racist rhetoric, including slurs and calls for violence. This alarming combination of personal instability, violent obsessions, and extremist views.
Earlier this week, addressing the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, New York City Mayor Eric Adams warned that society is ignoring the signs of radicalization, with far-reaching consequences. “We better deal with the radicalization of our young people,” he urged. “And people could — they could complain that I’m saying it, but I’m seeing it.”
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