Madison police arrest father of Abundant Life school shooter

MADISON, Wis (WMDX) – Police took into custody Jeffrey Rupnow Thursday, father of the teenage Abundant Life Christian School shooter who killed two and injured six last December.

Authorities claim the father brought two guns into Dane County. He gifted one of the firearms to his daughter, who brought it with her to the school.

Officers arrested Rupnow without incident just before 4 a.m. He’s being charged with two counts of providing a dangerous weapon to a minor, as well as contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Both crimes are felonies.

Rupnow is reportedly cooperating with the ongoing investigation.

Madison Police Department’s Acting Chief, John Patterson, emphasized the disturbing nature of the weapons and ammunition that were distributed to the shooter:

“The items recovered were disturbing, alarming, and they would have led any average person to the conclusion of violence, two guns, a nine millimeter and a 22 caliber firearm, along with magazines and ammunition, were recovered at the school.”

Madison police revealed that Rupnow was made aware of his daughter’s high-risk behavior online two years prior to the incident.

The arrest of the shooter’s father comes nearly five months after the tragic event. The 15-year-old assailant opened fire from a classroom on the second floor. Two victims were pronounced dead at the scene: schoolteacher Erin West, and 14-year-old Rubi Vergara. Six people were injured during the incident, with five being discharged in the proceeding months.

One student is currently in critical condition.

Read about the incident and all of the updates that followed here.