Supply: Scott Olson / Getty
Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes has grow to be a guiding gentle and voice of purpose within the wake of the tragic taking pictures at Considerable Life Christian Faculty in Madison, Wisconsin, on Dec. 16. The taking pictures, which passed off simply days earlier than winter break, claimed the lives of a instructor and a teenage pupil, with the suspected shooter—a feminine pupil—additionally dying, in accordance with the Related Press. The shooter has been recognized as 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow, who glided by the identify Samantha. She was pronounced lifeless whereas being transported to the hospital.
Throughout a press convention on Monday, Chief Barnes shared that the primary report of the taking pictures got here from a second-grade pupil, who known as 911 at 10:57 a.m. “Let that sink in,” Chief Barnes mentioned, repeating the phrase twice. He praised the swift response of legislation enforcement, noting that police arrived on the faculty simply 4 minutes later. The taking pictures passed off in a research corridor, authorities confirmed. Rupnow was a pupil at Considerable Life Christian Faculty, nevertheless, Chief Barnes and his staff are nonetheless working to uncover a motive behind the travesty.
At Monday’s press assembly, the Madison Police Chief reassured the neighborhood that each effort was being made to completely examine the taking pictures and to maintain neighborhood members secure. The Madison Police Division is intently monitoring the varsity, and presently, nobody is allowed on the premises because the investigation stays ongoing.
He defined that detectives had spoken with the shooter’s household on Monday night and performed a search of her residence in Madison as a part of their inquiry into the motive behind the taking pictures. The chief additionally shared that they have been in ongoing discussions with the shooter’s father at one in every of their amenities, the place he’s absolutely cooperating with the investigation.
“He misplaced somebody as nicely. And so we’re not going to hurry the knowledge, we’ll take our time and positively do our due diligence,” Chief Barnes mentioned.
Psychological well being sources will likely be given to neighborhood members impacted.
At the moment, Chief Barnes is urging the neighborhood to give attention to supporting these affected by the tragedy at Considerable Life Christian Faculty, and to maintain them of their prayers. Two college students stay in vital situation with life-threatening accidents.
“These youngsters at the moment are the most recent group of survivors of a faculty taking pictures,” Barnes mentioned. “This time, sadly, in Madison, Wisconsin.”
The Wisconsin Division of Justice’s Workplace of Faculty Security and the Workplace of Crime Sufferer Providers are additionally providing very important sources throughout this troublesome time. Their Vital Incident Response Workforce program, created by each departments, is designed to scale back the psychological impression of a traumatic occasion at college and to supply ongoing psychological well being assist lengthy after the incident has handed.
“I don’t know the way we will decrease what has occurred at present, however we’re going to do the most effective we will to supply providers for all these youngsters and workers.”
Supply: Scott Olson / Getty
Who’s Chief Shon Barnes?
Chief Shon Barnes is receiving widespread reward on-line for his swift and decisive response to the tragic incident at Considerable Life Christian Faculty. His dedication to community-centered policing is a cornerstone of his management, as highlighted by the Metropolis of Madison Police Division. Barnes was appointed Chief of Police by the Police and Hearth Fee (PFC) in February 2021.
A nationally acknowledged skilled in crime discount and enhancing community-police relations, Barnes has an in depth background in legislation enforcement. Previous to his present function, he served because the Director of Coaching and Skilled Improvement for the Civilian Workplace of Police Accountability in Chicago, Illinois. He was additionally Deputy Chief of Police in Salisbury, North Carolina, from 2017 to 2020, and a Captain with the Greensboro Police Division, the place he started his profession as a patrol officer in 2000.
Barnes’ revolutionary strategy to crime discount earned him recognition as a LEADS Scholar by the Nationwide Institute of Justice. He’s additionally a member of the Nationwide Police Basis’s Council on Policing Reforms and Race, a nonpartisan initiative centered on utilizing analysis and proof to sort out key points in police reform.
“Neighborhood Policing ought to be neighborhood oriented, neighborhood centered (enterprise and residential), downside oriented, and based mostly on essentially the most present empirical analysis out there to shortly cut back crime and enhance residents’ satisfaction with police providers,” he mentioned of his philosophy to efficient policing, the Metropolis of Madison Police Division web site notes.
All through his profession, Chief Barnes has championed Neighborhood-Oriented Policing, an strategy that emphasizes tailor-made responses to smaller police beats, fostering a way of possession inside neighborhoods, and prioritizing neighborhood engagement in any respect ranges of the police drive.
Throughout an interview with CNN on Dec. 17, Chief Barnes revealed that his division is collaborating with the ATF to hint the origins of the handgun used within the taking pictures. He additionally talked about that investigators are trying into the opportunity of a manifesto being linked to the incident. He made it clear that he didn’t imagine any 15-year-os ought to “have entry to weapons that they’ll convey to high school and probably damage somebody.”
Chief Barnes added, “We actually must do a greater job, not solely in our communities, however in our nation, with ensuring that our younger of us don’t have entry to weapons and firearms, and positively ensuring that we’re listening to the psychological well being of our youngsters, there’s numerous work that we want to take action that we can’t be having these conversations many times and once more on CNN and different information shops.”
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