December 16^th, 2024

It started like any other day at school...

The bell rings at 8:05 AM. Samantha and her classmates file into Abundant Life Christian School. As far as anyone was concerned, it was just another Monday, the last school week before Christmas break.

But today would be different. Samantha knew that. In her bag, amongst her usual school supplies, were two 9-millimeter handguns.
She knew what she was going to do.

At 10:45 AM, Samantha posted a photo on Twitter, wearing black combat pants and combat boots and flashing an “OK” hand sign.
This would be the last picture ever taken of Samantha.

Five minutes later, at 10:50 AM, she followed with a Google Docs link to her manifesto, which unfortunately remains access restricted to this day.
This is her final online activity.
It was time.

Little is known of the exact details and times of what happened in the next seven minutes. Her path through the school, when the first shots rang out, who the bullets hit and when, and the time and location of Samantha's final act — all this knowledge has so far been kept from us by the MPD.

What is known is Samantha walked into a classroom on the second floor that was being used as a study hall for students of all grades. She raised her weapon, and pulled the trigger. Bullets flied through the air. Those her shots landed on include Rubi Patricia Vergara, a 14-year-old student in the same grade as Samantha, and Erin Michelle West, a 42-year-old teacher known for her devout faith. Both had their lives taken from them.

Six others were injured, one teacher and five students, with two of the students' injuries being life-threatening. Whether all were by Samantha's hand is again uncertain.

Some students and faculty were interviewed by news outlets, give a clearer image of what it was like to be there when it happened:

In the hallway, I didn't look in her direction because the stairs were to the opposite direction. There was blood on the floor and down the stairs. Everything was overwhelming and even quiet things seemed very, very loud. You never really realize how much something like this will affect you until it happens. Naomi Allen, 10th grade (AP) (AP)

I heard gunshots; I heard an announcement saying “This is not a drill, this is a real lockdown.” A lot of people were hiding under the tables, and then people were hiding in the corridor of the library. One of the bullets hit one of the pipes while we were all in the classroom. It hit right above our door. The flood went “boom, whoosh” [there was water everywhere]. There was a teacher, Mrs. Slater, and she was screaming, “Ah, my leg! Help!” Nora Gottschalk, 2nd grade. This is the account that was most widely broadcast in the hours after the event. (IE) (CBS)

This teacher stood between her class and the door that was shot, with a pair of scissors, ready to do whatever she needed to do. father of Carson Lewis, 6th grade (IE)

The first call to 911 was made at 10:57 AM by a second-grade teacher. Three minutes later, the cops were on the scene. As they enter the school, they come across several people suffering from gunshot wounds, including Samantha, who only eight minutes after she opened fire, had turned her gun on herself. She was still alive.

In the following minutes, more police, the fire department and bomb disposal units arrived at the scene to clear the building and treat the injured. Rubi Vergara and Erin West were confirmed deceased.
In total, police would recover 21 spent casings and two 9-millimeter handguns, one of which was unused.

From 11:26 AM, medical personnel began transporting the remaining victims from the school where they were initially being treated.
Samantha was taken to a nearby Madison hospital, where she later passed away.

What Happened Next...

THE AFTERMATH page is currently IN DEVELOPMENT. Stay tuned.

The students and teacher who had non-life-threatening injuries have since been able to leave hospital. As of Januery 14th, The two students who had life-threatening injuries are reported to be in a good condition.

As for the rest of the facts...

The Madison Police Department have been tight-lipped about any more details of the shooting. They stated two days after that they will hold no more press conferences unless it's a major development. This is to protect the privacy of the families affected by the shooting and to avoid interference in the case while the full report is being put together.

They have a FAQ page on their website with similar answers. Once the report is complete, it must be made available to the public. There are to many unanswered questions otherwise.