Was School Shooter Trans? Police Chief Ignites Fury By Issuing 'Woke' Declaration Branding Gender Status of Killer 'Irrelevant'
Investigators are still trying to determine Natalie 'Samantha' Rupnow's motive for the killings.
Dec. 17 2024, Published 2:45 p.m. ET
The Madison Police Chief refused to answer questions about the Abundant Life Christian School shooter's gender identity.
RadarOnline.com can reveal Chief Shon Barnes said whether or not the shooter identified as transgender was "irrelevant" during a press conference following the mass shooting, which killed one student and a faculty member.
Authorities identified the shooter as Natalie Rupnow, 15, who went as "Samantha" and was a student at the school.
The shooter was identified as 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow.
Rupnow opened fire on her fellow students and staff members on Monday, December 16.
A second grade teacher reportedly called 911 and Madison police responded to an active shooter at the school around 10:57 AM.
When police arrived at the school, they discovered Rupnow inside the school suffering from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Barnes said the suspect died on the way to the hospital.
A fellow student and staff member were killed in the shooting on Monday, December 16.
Speculation about whether or not Rupnow was transgender spread across social media after she was publicly identified.
During a press conference on Monday, Barnes was pressed by reporter's on the shooter's identity and possible motive.
He dismissed questions about Rupnow's gender identity as he called on the public to be more responsible when posting online.
Barnes said: "I don't know whether Natalie was transgender or not. And, quite frankly, I don't think that's important at all."
Police Chief Shon Barnes said it's unclear if the attack was planned a week in advance or the day of.
He continued: "I wish people would leave their own personal biases. We have lost members of our community.
"It's something that may come out later but for what we're doing today it is of no consequence at this time. I don't think whatever happened today has anything to do with how she or he or they may want to identify.
"For what we're doing right now, today, literally eight hours after a mass shooting in a school in Madison, it is of no consequence at this time (what gender the shooter was)."
First responders scoured the scene in Wisconsin following the shocking incident inside the private school.
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Barnes comments set off a furious debate online, as social media users argued over whether or not the shooter potentially identifying as transgender could have contributed to a motive.
Some users called Barnes "woke" for dismissing the question, while others claimed it could be "important" information for the investigation.
One X user asked: "If it doesn't matter then why avoid saying the gender initially?"
Others pushed back against the "trolls" who were pushing hateful theories about the shooter being transgender.
One user wrote: "Ignorant people don't care about facts even after it's explained to them. Instead, they blame & disrespect a whole innocent community to fit their narrative."
As some users focused on transgender conspiracy theories, others said the discussion should be focused on mental illness and easy access to firearms.
Since Rupnow was identified,
