Copycat Attack? How Wisconsin School Shooter Natalie Rupnow, 15, Showed Off T-Shirt That is Sparking Fears She Was Inspired By Columbine Killer Eric Harris 25 Years after His Massacre
Investigators are still trying to determine Natalie 'Samantha' Rupnow's motive for the killings.
Dec. 17 2024, Published 5:48 p.m. ET
The deadly school shooting in Madison, Wisconsin, has an eerie connection to the massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado 25 years ago.
The 15-year-old, who went on a massive shooting spree inside Abundant Life Christian School, was pictured in the past wearing the same shirt as Columbine killer Eric Harris.
Rapnow was pictured in a shirt worn by one of the Columbine killers.
Natalie Rupnow appeared to show admiration for other school shooters from the past, RadarOnline.com has learned. That includes Columbine seniors Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, who went on one of the worst shooting sprees in American history.
Now, RadarOnline.com can reveal there are spooky similarities among the shooters, with Rupnow seeming to pay tribute to them on social media.
In a previous online post, Rupnow shared a mirror-reflection selfie wearing a shirt celebrating German rock band KMFDM. It was the same shirt Harris was photographed wearing before the Columbine tragedy.
Natalie Rupnow killed two people on her school shooting rampage and cops believe she had an accomplice who was planning similar attack.
At approximately 11:19 a.m. on April 20, 1999, Klebold, 17, and Harris, 18, opened fire inside Columbine High School, slaughtering 12 students and one teacher and wounding 23 others before killing themselves.
Wearing black trench coats, the two murdered 10 students in the library, where the pair later committed suicide. The motives behind their massacre continue to be debated to this day.
During the ensuing investigation, it was discovered Harris had a special affection for KMFDM, also known as Kein Mehrheit Für Die Mitleid, which loosely translates to "no pity for the majority."
Lyrics to KMFDM songs "Son of a Gun," "Stray Bullet" and "Waste" were spotted on Harris' personal website, and there is speculation the shooting was timed to coincide with the group's release of their album Adios.
First responders scoured the scene in Wisconsin following the shocking incident inside the private school.
Rupnow allegedly laid out her plans in a six-page manifesto posted online. The document, seen by RadarOnline.com and currently in the process of being verified by cops, features several bombshell claims.
She tells how she always planned to kill herself but believed it was "better for evolution" to take out others too, rather than "one stupid, boring suicide".
The student also name-dropped school shooter Pekka Eric Auvinen, an 18-year-old student who went on a rampage at his school in southern Finland, killing seven teenagers.
A fellow student and staff member were killed in the shooting on Monday, December 16.
Writing in the alleged manifesto, titled "War Against Humanity", Rupnow wrote about her parents and claimed she felt like "the wrong child" of her family, whom she referred to as "scum".
She claimed her parents suffered from drug and alcohol problems and "divorced a few times".
Rupnow also wrote at length about the relentless bullying she claimed to have suffered. Despite moving schools several times, she claimed the abuse rarely stopped.
Regarding how she secured the weapons to carry out the attack, Rupnow claimed they were snared by "lies, manipulation, and my father's stupidity."
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The Columbine shooting in 1999 claimed 13 lives.
Late Monday, officials at the school shared their thanks and appreciation to first responders in an update on their Facebook account.
A post said: "All of our students have been united with their parents and we are grateful for all the support. We have been flooded with thoughts & prayers.
"This great nation is behind us. So grateful for the tsunami of prayers for our students, staff, & families."
