MADISON, WI, December 16, 2024 – Today, as so many students across the country prepared for the end of another intense semester and the coming of the Christmas holiday, tragedy once again struck in a place it has no right to be.
At 10:57 am local time, police were called to Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin with a report of an active shooting in progress. By the time the incident had concluded, the shooting had claimed the lives of a teacher and a student. The suspect, who has been identified as a member of the student body, also lost their life at the scene. While the investigation is ongoing, the name of the suspect is not being released.
According to officials, at least six others were injured, with two currently in critical condition at the hospital. Their injuries are life threatening. The remaining four students are also being treated, but their injuries are not life threatening at this time. However, as Madison Chief of Police Shon F. Barnes shared, “…these are just the physical injuries that we know about…but there are other [emotional] injuries that we will have to face for a very very long time, and we are going to do everything we can as a community to heal those injuries.”
At the time of this report, the motive for the attack remains under investigation. Authorities are focusing on the suspect’s background to help them find any clues as to why this happened. Regardless of the motive, Barnes was emphatic as he said, “I think we can all agree that enough is enough. We have to come together to do everything we can to support our students to prevent [school shooting] press conferences from happening again and again and again.”
As police and school officials continue to work to understand this act of evil, Christian communities must also be at work. As the Apostle Paul shared in Romans 12:12 we must… “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (NIV). Christians who live far from this tragedy must pray – pray for Christ’s comfort, pray for His healing of the Abundant Life Christian School family, and also pray that our enemy, the Devil, will not find an opportunity to boast in this event. As Christians face death, we do so knowing that our redeemer LIVES, and whatever Satan has intended for evil, the Lord, in His time, will use for good.
For those near to this tragedy, be faithful in prayer as well, but also be available. In any way the Lord calls you, even if it is just to be a listening ear or to give a firm hug, be available. You will not have the answers, and you do not need to have them, but by making yourself available, Christ will surely use you to heal this community that has been called by His name.
May the Lord faithfully watch over Abundant Life Christian School and all our schools.
Disclaimer
This article is based on a televised press conference with Madison Chief of Police Shon F. Barnes and his testimony alone. Information from no other news outlet was curated during its writing. As a small and local news site, The Believer’s Byline, relies of televised news conferences for national news reporting and aims only to use information in the public domain. If you would like to help us expand our reach, consider advertising with us or providing a donation.
References
Scripture taken from the New International Version® (NIV®). Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Picture Credit
Image by WOKANDAPIX from Pixabay.
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