Wisconsin school shooter’s dad faces felony charges for daughter Natalie Rupnow’s crimes

42-year-old Jeffrey Rupnow, the father of 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow, has been handed a criminal complaint that alleges he tried to bond with his daughter through firearms as she was planning the shooting at the school that would end in her suicide, according to the New York Post.

Natalie had built a cardboard model of the school in order to carry out the shooting. The complaint was filed on Wednesday but did not become unsealed until Jeffrey Rupnow was arrested. He is now being held in custody at Dane County Jail. Rupnow has been charged with two felony counts of giving a dangerous weapon to a minor leading to death as well as contributing to the delinquency of a child.

Jeffrey Rupnow was scheduled to appear in court on Friday, and the police chief said that the father has been cooperative throughout the entire investigation. The shooting, which left two people dead and six others injured, took place on December 16, 2024, at the Abundant Life Christian School. The religious school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and there are pre-k through 12th-grade classes offered at the school.

Natalie Rupnow opened fire during a study hall, killing 14-year-old student Rubi Bergara as well as teacher Erin Michelle West. Six others were injured in the shooting. Rupnow then turned the gun on herself, committing suicide.

The complaint against her father said that Natalie Rupnow received the firearm for Christmas in 2023. She had also been struggling with the divorce of her parents at the time of the shooting. According to the complaint, Jeffrey Rupnow texted a friend a few days before the shooting that Natalie would shoot him if he left “the fun safe open right now." The day before the shooting, he had taken out the Sig Sauer pistol that was found in her bag after the shooting. Police also recovered a 9 mm Glock at the scene of the shooting.

This is the latest instance of parents getting charged for shootings being carried out by their children. The parents of Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley were sentenced to 10-15 years for manslaughter after their son shot and killed four classmates in 2021.

Additionally, the father of the Highland Park shooter Robert Crimo III, Robert Crimo Jr, pleaded guilty to charges related to the crimes committed by his son in 2023.