At least five people have been killed and multiple injured in a school shooting in the United States.
Police in Madison, Wisconsin, said they were probing a shooting at Abundant Life Christian School which students from kindergarten age all the way up to the 12th grade attend.
A Madison Police Department (MPD) spokesperson said on Facebook: “Multiple injuries have been reported. This remains an active and ongoing investigation. More information will be released as it is available. We currently need people to avoid the area. Roads will be blocked off along 4900 Buckeye Road. Drivers and community members are asked to find alternate routes in travel is needed in this area.”
According to ABC7, the shooter is “down” and unconfirmed reports claim at least five people are dead and seven others were injured. Those same unconfirmed reports said the gunman died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Footage taken from close to the school showed law enforcement outside the building.
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A public safety alert went out at about 11:20am local time, according to NBC affiliate WMTV. The alert said: “Per Madison PD- Police activity on 4900 block of East Buckeye Road in Madison. Avoid the area.”
Republican Senator for Wisconsin Ron Johnson responded to reports of the shooting with a post on X/Twitter and wrote: “My sincere condolences and prayers for all the victims of the tragedy at Abundant Life Christian School,” he said. “I will continue to closely monitor the situation.”
An MPD spokesperson said a press briefing would be held later today. The Madison school is understood to be a private institution that teaches an estimated 400 students.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, which collects shooting incident data from across the US, in 2023 there were 18,854 deaths due to “wilful, malicious, or accidental” shootings. The same database added 36,338 people were injured in shootings across the US that year.
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