Wisconsin Teen’s Father Charged After Deadly Christian School Shooting [WATCH]

The father of a 15-year-old girl who carried out a deadly school shooting in December has been charged with multiple felonies after authorities alleged he provided the weapons used in the attack, as reported by The New York post.

Jeffrey Rupnow, 42, of Madison, was arrested Thursday and booked into the Dane County Jail.

He faces two felony counts of intentionally providing a dangerous weapon to a person under 18, resulting in death, as well as one count of contributing to the delinquency of a child.

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The charges stem from the December 16 shooting at Abundant Life Christian School, a private pre-K through high school institution in Madison.

Natalie Rupnow’s Home Raided by Police#natalierupnow #LuigiMangione #FreeLuigi #BrianThompsonhttps://t.co/JgRTTK6fCB pic.twitter.com/erRZfbbfSD

— Green Stream (@GreenStream11) December 22, 2024

According to a criminal complaint unsealed following Rupnow’s arrest, his daughter, Natalie Rupnow, shot and killed teacher Erin Michelle West and 14-year-old student Rubi Bergara.

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Six others were injured before Natalie died by suicide at the scene. Law enforcement recovered 20 shell casings, a Glock 9mm pistol, and a .22-caliber Sig Sauer from the scene. The Sig Sauer had been given to Natalie as a Christmas gift in 2023, the complaint said.

Authorities also found magazines filled with ammunition, a black T-shirt marked with a bullseye, and a six-page document Natalie wrote titled “War Against Humanity.”

In the writing, she referred to humanity as “filth” and stated, “I obtained my weapons by lies and manipulation, and my father’s stupidity.”

Investigators recovered a detailed schedule for the attack and a cardboard model of the school from Natalie’s room.

The handwritten plan included timestamps for initiating the shooting, clearing the school floors, and ending with a notation that read “ready 4 Death.”

Natalie had reportedly been struggling with her parents’ divorce since 2022. Her father told police she had expressed suicidal thoughts and had previously self-harmed. At one point, he locked up all the kitchen knives for her safety.

Jeffrey Rupnow admitted to taking Natalie shooting with him in the years prior and viewed firearms as a way to bond with her.

He told investigators he stored the guns in a safe and gave her access to it by telling her the code—his Social Security number entered backward.

Just days before the attack, he reportedly texted a friend saying Natalie would shoot him if he left the “fun safe” open.

The day before the shooting, Rupnow said he took the Sig Sauer out so Natalie could clean it, but couldn’t recall if he returned it to the safe or locked it.

In messages sent to detectives after the shooting, Rupnow described teaching his daughter firearm safety as “the biggest mistake” of his life. He advised other families to change gun safe codes frequently, stating, “Kids are smart and they will figure it out.”

Acting Madison Police Chief John Patterson said Natalie had been engaging in online conversations with people globally about school shootings and weapons.

A friend of hers told investigators that Jeffrey Rupnow was verbally aggressive and that Natalie had described him as a drinker.

Court records did not list an attorney for Rupnow, who was expected to make his first appearance Friday.

The charges come amid a growing number of legal cases targeting parents whose children commit school shootings. In Michigan, the parents of a student who killed four people in 2021 were convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

In Georgia, the father of a teenage shooter faces charges including murder and manslaughter. In Illinois, the father of a man charged in a deadly July 4 parade shooting pleaded guilty to misdemeanors related to helping his son obtain a gun license.

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