The cause appears to be a combination of factors, police said

Officials are trying to determine why a 15-year-old girl allegedly opened fire at her school, Abundant Life Christian School, Monday morning, killing another student and a teacher in a horrific incident that left the community of Madison, Wisconsin.

The cause appears to be a combination of factors, Madison Police Chief Sean Barnes said at a news conference Tuesday.

Police are talking to students to find out if bullying was a factor, he said.

“Everyone was targeted in this incident and everyone was in equal danger,” said Barnes.

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Two students were hospitalized in critical condition with serious injuries, police said, while three other students and a teacher suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

A candlelight vigil was held on Tuesday night at the state palace for the victims of the incident.

“Yesterday, the community of Madison experienced a terrible and tragic event,” Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said at the vigil. “We will never be the same, but we will get through this. And we will get through it by relying on each other and taking care of each other.”

The victims have not been publicly identified. Rhodes-Conway told reporters during a press conference that they respect the privacy of the victims’ families and “will share what we know when we can and not before.”

“Let them grieve and heal and heal” “father.”

The suspect, Natalie Rupnow, who was traveling with Samantha, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said. The police did not fire their weapons.

Police are looking at Rupnow’s online activity, Barnes said. He urged anyone who recognizes him or has information about his feelings to call Madison Area Crime Stoppers at 608-266-6014.

Rupnow’s parents are cooperating with the investigation, Barnes told ABC News on Tuesday.

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“They had a bond. Despite this tragedy, they still lost a child. They still lost a family member,” said Barnes. “It is clear that they probably have more questions than anyone because they knew him. They lived with him so we wanted to get an account from them about what kind of child he was.”

His father is being questioned by investigators, Barnes said. He said he did not know if his mother had been questioned, and noted that she was not in the city.

Students in kindergarten through 12th grade attend a Christian school. Police said the shooting happened in a classroom during a study hall “full of students from different grades.”

“I was in the hallway, and I was changing from my shoes to my boots to eat lunch because I was resting, but then I heard gunshots and screams,” the second-grader told Chicago ABC station WLS.

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The second-grade teacher called 911 at 10:57 a.m., Barnes said.

Police initially said Monday it was a second-grader who called 911; On Tuesday, Barnes corrected that to the teacher.

James Smith told ABC News that his 17-year-old daughter was in physics class when shots were fired two classrooms away. He was not injured.

Smith said Abundant Life Christian School accepts students who may have been bullied or had difficulties at other schools.

“We, as a school, wish to help those who have problems, so that they can provide a safe place for them to grow, at the same time we balance in a safe place for all our student body,” he said.

Smith also said that the number of people in this school has increased significantly after the epidemic as many parents are looking for another public school.

On Tuesday, several schools in the Madison Metropolitan School District “were targeted by false threats commonly referred to as swatting,” Barnes told reporters.

Police are investigating, Barnes said, and he noted that authorities do not believe there are any threats at this time.

“Making false threats is a crime, we are working with the district attorney,” he said.

After Monday’s incident, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris urged elected officials to fight gun violence.

Biden in a statement called the incident “shocking and senseless,” and cited his administration’s efforts to combat gun violence in the US, including the launch of the White House Office to Prevent Gun Violence.

Biden called on Congress to pass “general” gun safety laws, including universal background checks, a national red flag law, and bans on both assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

“It is unacceptable that we cannot protect our children from this scourge of gun violence,” Biden said, adding, “We cannot continue to accept it as business as usual.”

“With another school shooting, another community is torn apart and torn apart by guns,” Vice President Kamala Harris said Tuesday. “Also, our nation mourns the dead, and we pray for the recovery of those injured and the entire community.”

Harris, who participated in the Biden administration’s efforts to combat gun violence, emphasized, “We as a nation must renew our commitment to ending gun violence, mass shootings and the everyday gun violence that affects so many communities in our nation. .”

“We must end it, we are committed to have the courage to know that the solutions are at hand but we need elected leaders to have the courage to stand up and do the right thing,” he said.

ABC News’ Alex Perez, Briana Stewart and Molly Nagle contributed to this report.

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