Wisconsin school shooter Natalie ‘Samantha’ Rupnow’s father posted a disturbing photo of one of his daughters practicing at a shooting range, wearing a T-shirt similar to the one worn by the Columbine school shooters. Jeff Rupnow shared a photo on his Facebook page in August showing his daughter aiming a shotgun at a clay pigeon wearing a black KMFDM T-shirt.
Notably, Columbine shooter Eric Harris was seen wearing a KMFDM shirt prior to the 1999 Colorado high school shooting, which resulted in 13 deaths. The tragedy is often regarded as a watershed moment in the history of school shootings in the United States. This has also sparked several conspiracy theories.
Disturbing Message Posted by Shooter’s Father
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It is unclear whether Natalia is an only child, but in the post, Jeff referred to his daughter as “kiddo” and expressed pride in her skills with the weapon. Natalie Rupnow, 15, also known as Samantha, killed a substitute teacher and a teenage student, injuring six others with a 9mm pistol at Abundant Life Christian School on Monday before taking her own life.
Her motive remains unclear, and police are investigating whether a manifesto circulating online was written by Rupnow.
In Jeff Rupnow’s Facebook post featuring his daughter at the shooting range, a friend inquired if it was indeed his daughter in the photo. Jeff responded, saying, “Joined NBSC (North Bristol Shooting Club) this spring and we have been loving every second of it.”
The North Bristol Sportsman’s Club (NBSC) in Sun Prairie, a Madison suburb, is a gun club that offers family memberships for $90 per year, according to its website. Founded in 1970, the club has over 600 members. However, it has not been confirmed whether the Rupnows are members.
As attention turned to Jeff Rupnow’s photo of his daughter at the gun range, many observers noticed that she was wearing a T-shirt of the German industrial rock band KMFDM, a group famously admired by Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the perpetrators of the Columbine High School shooting.
Eerie Connection
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Harris and Klebold killed 12 students and one teacher in the attack, with disturbing CCTV footage showing the heavily armed duo walking through the school’s cafeteria during the massacre.
They also left 21 others injured, and three more were hurt while trying to flee the scene. The two shooters eventually took their own lives before authorities could apprehend them.
Harris’s personal website displayed KMFDM lyrics alongside speeches by Adolf Hitler, and photos showed both Harris and Klebold wearing the band’s merchandise. At the time of the attack, KMFDM issued a statement condemning both the massacre and Nazism.
Police, who identified Rupnow as the shooter on Monday, are continuing to investigate the motive behind her attack. Officers have searched the family’s home and are investigating a possible manifesto she may have left behind.
This comes amid online debate about Rupnow’s gender identity, sparked by Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes, who faced backlash for saying that whether or not she is transgender is “not important at all” to the investigation.
Barnes also suggested that Rupnow’s parents could potentially face charges, referencing the earlier case of James and Jennifer Crumbley, whose imprisonment earlier this year set a precedent for prosecuting parents of school shooters.