Police: No individual specifically targeted in Madison school shooting

(The Center Square) – No individual was targeted in a Monday shooting that left three dead, including a teacher, a teenage student and the shooter at Madison’s Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Police Chief Shon Barnes said.

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

Barnes said there were no changes for the six individuals who were injured and taken to the hospital as two students remain hospitalized with life-threatening injuries.

Several Metropolitan Madison School District buildings were subject to false threats Tuesday, Barnes said, which he called swatting. He said that police are looking into the source of those false threats.

“We do not believe there are any current threats to any Madison area schools and will continue to investigate these calls and any threats of violence as they come in,” Barnes said.

Barnes said that police have not determined the validity of writings allegedly from the shooter that have been shared online and asked the public not to continue to share those writings.

Police are looking into whether bullying was a factor in the leadup to the shootings.

“There are always signs of a school shooting before it occurred,” Barnes added.

He said that police are looking into the shooter’s online activity and encouraged anyone who knew the shooter or what she was feeling to call Madison Area Crimestoppers at 608-266-6014.

Barnes also corrected that the 911 call regarding the shooting came from a second-grade teacher, not a student as he had said during a Monday night press conference.