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As the Madison, Wisconsin, community reels from the deadly shooting at Abundant Life Christian School, pictures of grief and mourning despondently tell the story of this tragedy's aftermath. I viewed the recent online collage of photos on CNN's website that showed students and parents holding candles at an evening vigil, a distraught police officer, and a student in a wheelchair penning a heartfelt message on a white cross erected in memory of one of the victims. A second grader in an interview concisely summed up the terrifying moments she witnessed, stating, "I was really scared, and I was really sad." She was eating a "SpongeBob SquarePants" popsicle, a treat of comfort that seemed to soothe the chaos around her momentarily.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers called the shooting a "gut-wrenching tragedy," as police continue to search for a motive of the 15-year-old suspect, Natalie Rupnow. With Rupnow being female, criminal justice experts are pointing out that the Abundant Life case is atypical. It is not common for young girls and women to orchestrate mass shootings in the U.S. For example, according to the Statistica Research Department, 145 mass shootings have been carried out by men since 1982, and data from The Violence Project show that men have committed 98% of shooting crimes since 1966. A well-known reason that psychologists have provided for men and boys being more violent than women and girls is that males tend to be straightforward in expressing their anger and aggression. However, regarding girls, research has shown that they can be dangerously hostile, using tactics of gossip and spreading rumors. A photo has surfaced of Rupnow taking an eerie-looking selfie in a KMFDM T-shirt, which news reports say appears to be the same design Columbine shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, also fans of this German rock band, wore. While police look through Rupnow's online accounts, it is highly possible that she may have been bullied, a pervasive and vicious form of attack on teens during this social media age. Whether or not police can make a bullying connection to Rupnow's actions, the Abundant Life shooting is unfortunately another catastrophic incident that will be added to the growing body of research on trauma and Generation Z. At 15, Rupnow was part of the younger cohort of Gen Z, and 2022 provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that guns had been the "number one factor in child deaths" for three consecutive years, surpassing "any other type of injury or illness" for children ages 1 to 17.

As with all horrific mass school shootings in our nation, the question of "why" will painfully linger while the Abundant Life investigation continues, and there will be enormous grief for this Madison community and the families of the two victims going into the Christmas holiday season. Following this story, I've had the same questions of "why" and "what" that I have pondered with other tragedies in which a teen like Rupnow was the perpetrator. For instance, what caused Rupnow to feel such rage that she would want to slaughter her peers in a study hall? Why did she think her own life was not worthwhile, as she resorted to killing herself?

I have also thought about the name of the school as it relates to John 10:10, where Jesus said, "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." In this verse, the Greek translation of "abundantly" means "preeminence," basically living life with exceeding joy. Obviously, something went terribly wrong in Rupnow's short life, where misery and darkness abounded. Something evil snatched whatever joy and happiness she may have had when she was younger. With Abundant Life being founded on Christian precepts, I believe school leaders will lean on their faith for spiritual answers to this tragedy that delve deeper than quantitative data; answers that only God can provide. It will take this type of resilient faith to strengthen them through this heartbreaking loss.

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Dr. Jessica A. Johnson is a lecturer in the English department at Ohio State University's Lima campus. Email her at smojc.jj@gmail.com. Follow her on X: @JjSmojc. To find out more about Jessica Johnson and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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