Madison (dpa) – A 15-year-old is suspected of being responsible for the fatal gun attack at a school in the US state of Wisconsin. Police Chief Shon F. Barnes said the teens ultimately died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. According to the police, the two victims of the attack were a teacher and a student. Details about the gender of the two have not yet been revealed.
According to Barnes, six other students and a teacher were injured and taken to nearby hospitals. Two of the students were therefore in mortal danger. The father of the alleged shooter is currently being questioned. According to police, the parents are cooperating fully with the investigators.
The crime occurred late Monday morning (local time) at a Christian school in the city of Madison. The police initially assumed there were five deaths, but shortly afterwards they revised this number downwards.
Child dials 911
Particularly harrowing, according to Barnes, was the role of a second-grade child who called 911 at 10:57 a.m. (local time). “Let that sink in for a moment,” the police chief said. “A second grader. Dials the emergency number. To report shots fired. At school.”
According to media reports, around 390 students from kindergarten to twelfth grade attended the school.
US President Joe Biden called the act “shocking and unscrupulous.” He is calling on Congress to tighten gun laws. In the cave USA Lethal gun violence is part of everyday life. Pistols and larger caliber weapons are not only easily accessible, but also in circulation by the millions. Attacks with particularly serious consequences repeatedly spark debates about tightening gun laws. But concrete progress has so far been lacking – primarily due to resistance from Republicans and the financially influential gun lobby, which has been blocking reforms for years.
