The father of the Wisconsin school shooter suspect, Natalie Rupnow, was arrested and accused of supplying his daughter with semiautomatic weapons. 42-year-old Jeffrey Rupnow is in custody after an early morning traffic stop, according to the Daily Mail.
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Mass Shooter Natalie Rupnow’s Father Arrested For Giving Weapons To His Daughter
Police charged Jeffrey with intentionally giving a dangerous weapon to someone under 18, causing death and contributing to child delinquency. He’s the dad of the 15-year-old Abundant Life Christian School shooter. Natalie ended up killing two people and herself during the shooting on December 16, 2024.
According to prosecutors, the dad purchased a pistol for his daughter legally. Although he kept it in a gun safe, he told Natalie the code to the safe if she ever needed it.
“Her father knew that she had them, or at least had access to them,” said Madison Police Chief John Patterson in a news conference. Natalie used that pistol and another firearm during the Wisconsin school shooting. She ended the lives of a 42-year-old teacher, Erin West, a 14-year-old freshman, Rubi Vergara, and then she shot herself.
Natalie also left six others injured from the deadly attack. Some of these victims are still in the hospital today, as per CBS News. Police haven’t shared the exact details on the teen’s motives behind the shooting.
Still, they have said there is a “combination of factors.” Investigators discovered that Natalie had obsessions with weapons, violence, and school shootings. She even allegedly had a journal full of drawings depicting mass violence.
Just one day after the incident, Natalie’s father told police he had taken out his daughter’s pistol for cleaning. This was two days prior to the shooting, and he was unsure if he put it back in the safe afterward. On top of that, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the dad said Natalie must’ve taken the second handgun from the safe, too.
The outlet also detailed more of the gruesome documents in Natalie’s bedroom. In some of her writings, she described humanity as “filth” and said she lived in a “population of scum.” Natalie also used a racial slur and said, “Some of you guys deserve to be dead.”
The cops have since arrested Jeffrey during a 3:45 AM traffic stop on May 8. The father’s first court appearance is scheduled for today, May 9.