Three people dead in school shooting in US state of Wisconsin

There have been 322 school shootings in the US in 2024, the second highest number since 1966.

A shooting at a private Christian school in the northern United States has killed two people as well as a child who is suspected of carrying out the attack, authorities say.

The shooting on Monday at the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, also left others wounded with at least five people taken to local hospitals, the Madison Police Department said.

Law enforcement agencies have yet to provide details on the victims but said children are among the dead.

The suspected shooter was identified by Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes as a student at the school. Barnes told reporters that police officers who responded to the shooting did not fire their own weapons and found the suspected shooter dead at the scene.

“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 said. “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.”

The shooting took place just after 11am (17:00 GMT). It was initially reported that three people had been killed before Barnes gave the updated death toll.

Agents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrived at the scene and were assisting local police, who blocked off roads around the school.

“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,” Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers said in a statement.

President Joe Biden has been briefed on the incident, the White House said.

There have been 322 school shootings this year in the US, according to the K-12 School Shooting Database, the second highest total of any year since 1966 – topped only by last year’s total of 349 shootings.

Polling in the US has consistently found that the American public wants stricter laws on firearms, but politicians have found it difficult to push through legislation in the face of a strong pro-gun lobby.