People spot unsettling 'link' between Wisconsin shooter Natalie Runpow and Columbine killer Eric Harris
People think they've spotted an apparent link between Natalie 'Samantha' Rupnow and Eric Harris.
Rupnow is said to be behind a school shooting that unfolded yesterday (December 16) at a small Christian school in Wisconsin.
The 15-year-old pupil allegedly wounded six others in Monday’s shooting at the Abundant Life Christian School, including two students who were in critical condition, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said.
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A teacher and three students were taken to hospital with less serious injuries and two were later released.
Meanwhile, Rupnow was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound when officers arrived and died en route to hospital, police said.
Following the devastating events, people have been forced to confront the ongoing issue in the US that is mass shootings - at schools in particular.
At the time of writing, there have been more than 488 mass shootings across the US so far, BBC News reports.
One mass shooting in particular that people have been thinking about after Rupnow's reported actions is that of the Columbine school shooting in 1999.
The heartbreaking incident was carried out by Eric Harris and Dylan Kelbold, who killed 12 students and one teacher, before both Harris and Kelbold took their own lives as well.
With the similarities in mind between yesterday and that fateful day in 1999, people on social media have spotted an apparent 'link' between Harris and Rupnow.
In a photo of Rupnow that's being distributed online, the teenager can be seen sporting a KMFDM t-shirt.
Harris was also seemingly a fan of the same German rock band and was pictured wearing the same T-shirt in the run up to Columbine.
KMFDM stands for 'Kein Mehrheit Für Die Mitleid', which translates to 'No Pity for the Majority'.
Before the 1999 massacre, Harris had praised KMFDM for its 'anti-American' and 'anti-authoritarian' messages, as per The Times of India.
The band has always publicly condemned violence, however.
As it stands, a motive for yesterday's shooting isn't known and it's not clear if the victims were targeted, however, police believe that Rupnow planned the shooting, as per ITV News.
Police have been talking with the alleged attacker’s father and other family members, who were co-operating, and searching her home.
"He lost someone as well," Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said of the father. "And so we’re not going to rush the information.
"We’ll take our time and make sure we do our due diligence."
In another statement, Barnes said her parents were 'fully cooperating' with the investigation, adding: "We have no reason to believe that they have committed a crime at this time."
If you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Niamh Shackleton