Wisconsin School Shooting Victims Identified as 14-Year-Old Student and 42-Year-Old Staff Member

Mar. 15, 2025

Erin Michelle West, Rubi Patricia Vergara.Photo:Abundant Life Christian School/Gunderson Funeral Home

Abundant Life Christian School/Gunderson Funeral Home

The two deceased victims of theshooting at Abundant Life Christian Schoolin Madison, Wis. on Monday, Dec. 16, have been identified as a student and a staff member.

Preliminary autopsy results show that both individuals were pronounced dead at the scene and died of “homicidal firearm related trauma.”

In herobituary, Vergara, a freshman at Abundant Life Christian School, was remembered as an “avid reader, loved art, singing and playing keyboard in the family worship band.”

Rubi Patricia Vergara.Gunderson Funeral Home

Gunderson Funeral Home

“She shared a special bond with her beloved pets, Ginger (cat) and Coco (dog),” the obituary adds.

Vergara was a substitute coordinator, per theMilwaukee Journal SentinelandThe New York Times, citing a staff directory.

According to the medical examiner, Rupnow was pronounced dead at a local hospital following the incident. Preliminary results from the autopsy confirm that she died as a result of “firearm related trauma,” and additional testing is underway.

The campus of Abundant Life Christian School after a school shooting on December 16, 2024 in Madison, Wisconsin.Andy Manis/Getty

Andy Manis/Getty

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Six students were also hospitalized following the incident. Two of the injured were listed in critical condition with life-threatening injuries immediately following the shooting, while the remaining four were hospitalized with non-life-threatening. Two of the four were released on Monday evening, per theMilwaukee Journal Sentinel.

source: people.com