Police said the motive appeared to be a combination of factors.

Officials are trying to figure out why a 15-year-old girl opened fire at her Abundant Life Christian School Monday morning, killing a classmate and teacher, a heinous crime that shocked the Madison, Wisconsin, community. .

Madison Police Chief Sean Barnes said at a news conference Tuesday that the motive appears to be a combination of factors.

He said police were talking to students to determine if bullying was a factor.

“Everyone was targeted in this incident, and everyone is in the same danger,” Barnes said.

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Police said two students were in critical condition and were sent to the hospital for treatment, while three other students and a teacher had non-life-threatening injuries.

A candlelight vigil was held at the state Capitol Tuesday night for the victims of the shooting.

“Yesterday, the Madison community experienced a horrific and painful event,” Madison Mayor Satya Lord-Conway said at the vigil. “We will never be the same, but we will get through this. . We will get through this together by relying on each other and taking care of each other.”

The identity of the victim has not been released. Rod-Conway told reporters at a news conference that they respect the privacy of the victims’ families and will “share what information we can when possible, but not before.”

“Let them grieve. Let them heal. Let them heal,” she said.

Police said the suspect, Natalie Rupnow, named Samantha, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The officers did not fire their weapons.

Barnes said police are investigating Rupnow’s online activities. He urged anyone who knew her or knew how she was feeling to call Madison Area Crime Stoppers at 608-266-6014.

Barnes told ABC News on Tuesday that Rupnow’s parents were cooperating with the investigation.

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“They were cooperative. Despite this tragedy, they still lost a child. They still lost a family member,” Barnes said. “For sure, they probably have more questions than anyone because they knew her. They lived with her, so we want to get information from them about what kind of child she was.”

Barnes said her father is being questioned by investigators. He said he did not know if the mother had been questioned, noting that she was out of town.

Students in kindergarten through 12th grade attend Christian schools. Police said the shooting occurred in a classroom in the study hall, “which was packed with students from different grades.”

“I was in the hallway, changing my shoes into boots to go eat lunch because there was recess, but then I heard gunshots and screams,” a second-grade girl told Chicago ABC station WLS.

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A second-grade teacher called 911 at 10:57 a.m., Barnes said.

Police initially said Monday that the 911 caller was a second-grader; Barnes corrected that with a teacher on Tuesday.

James Smith told ABC News his 17-year-old daughter was in a physics class when shots rang out two classrooms away. She was not injured.

Smith said Abundant Life Christian School welcomes students who may have been bullied or experienced difficulties at other schools.

“As a school we want to help those who are experiencing trouble and provide a safe space for them to grow, as well as a safe space for the rest of our students,” he said.

Smith also said the school’s population has grown dramatically post-pandemic as many parents seek alternatives to public schools.

Barnes told reporters that on Tuesday, many schools in the Madison Metropolitan School District “were targeted with false threats often described as assaults.”

Police are investigating, Barnes said, noting authorities do not believe there is any threat at this time.

“Making false threats is a crime and we are working with the district attorney,” he said.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris urged elected officials to combat gun violence after Monday’s shooting.

Biden called the shooting “shocking and unjustified” in a statement, citing his administration’s efforts to combat the epidemic of gun violence in the United States, including the implementation of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention.

Biden is asking Congress to pass “common sense” gun safety laws, including universal background checks, national red flag laws and bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

“It is unacceptable that we cannot protect our children from the scourge of gun violence,” Biden said, adding, “We cannot continue to think this is normal.”

“This is another school shooting, another community torn apart by gun violence,” Vice President Kamala Harris said in remarks Tuesday. “Of course, our country mourns those who were killed, and we mourn those who were injured. and prayers for the healing of the entire community.”

Harris, who has played a role in the Biden administration’s efforts to combat gun violence, stressed: “As a country, we must reaffirm our commitment to end the horrors of gun violence, including mass shootings and everyday incidents that touch so many communities across our country. Gun violence.

“We have to end this and we have to have the courage to know that solutions are around the corner, but we need elected leaders to have the courage to stand up and do the right thing,” she said.

ABC News’ Alex Perez, Brianna Stewart and Molly Nagle contributed to this report.

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