Was Wisconsin faculty shooter Natalie Rupnow transgender? Police chief says ‘it’s one thing which will…’

“I don’t know whether or not Natalie was transgender or not. And, fairly frankly, I don’t suppose that’s vital in any respect,” Barnes mentioned, including that no matter occurred doesn’t have “something to do with how he or she or they could wish to determine.” Rupnow died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Barnes made the feedback after he was requested about unverified social media posts claiming Rupnow was transgender, and suggesting that it performed an element within the capturing. “I want individuals would go away their very own private biases,” Barnes mentioned, in keeping with New York Put up. “We now have misplaced members of our group. It’s one thing which will come out later, however for what we’re doing right now, it’s of no consequence at the moment.”

Natalie ‘Samantha’ Rupnow’s alleged social media posts

Photographs of Rupnow have emerged, one displaying her sporting a T-shirt that includes a band favored by Columbine killer Eric Harris. Some unverified posts from social media accounts believed to have belonged to Rupnow indicated that she had a disturbing obsession with faculty shooters. The posts included photographs of shooters comparable to Parkland highschool gunman Nicholas Cruz. There was additionally a point out of a 2007 faculty capturing in Jokela, Finland, and an image of the Columbine shooters.

“There are at all times indicators of a faculty capturing earlier than it happens,” Barnes mentioned, including that they’re “wanting into her on-line exercise.” Speaking about the opportunity of bullying taking part in an element within the capturing, he mentioned, “we’re speaking to college students to grasp whether or not bullying was a type of a number of elements that I discussed earlier.”