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Pastor Reflects on Beloved Teacher’s Faith after Tragic School Shooting
- Milton Quintanilla Crosswalk Headlines Contributor
- Published Dec 23, 2024
A teacher who was killed in last week's shooting at Madison, Wisconsin's Abundant Life Christian School was described by her pastor as "a woman who loved Jesus and loved people."
Last Monday, 15-year-old Natalie "Samantha" Rupnow shot and killed Erin West, a 42-year-old educator from DeForest, and 14-year-old student Rubi Patricia Vergara of Madison. Two additional students were critically wounded and remained hospitalized.
Related Article: Christian School Shooting in Madison Leaves 3 Dead, 6 Injured
Pastor Rob Warren of Doxa Church, where West attended, remembered her as a cherished member of the church and Christian school community, The Christian Post reports.
"She was a woman who loved Jesus and loved people, and that was honestly why she was in that classroom on Monday," Warren said, WKOW reported.
He noted that Erin, her husband, and three daughters joined Doxa Church about two years ago.
Warren was among the first responders at the scene last Monday as he tried to calm the nerves of anxious parents waiting to reunite with their children. He was also the first to inform Erin's husband and three daughters of the tragic news.
"We just kind of sat there with him, and we cried," Warren said.
The pastor explained that despite witnessing shootings across the nation, this one hit close to home without prior anticipation.
"It's your friend, and it's your friend's kids that you're looking at. It just becomes more and more real," Warren said.
"He knows that it's not just the sentiment of, 'I'm going to see her again one day, and she's at peace,' but because of her faith, we know that she's actually at peace right now," the pastor continued.
West's funeral took place at Doxa Church in Madison at noon on Monday, with visitation beginning at 10 a.m. the same day. Meanwhile, Rubi Vergara's service was held Saturday at City Church, adjacent to the school.
As part of the continuing investigation into the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School, authorities on Friday arrested 20-year-old Alexander Paffendorf of Carlsbad, California, and confiscated firearms and ammunition from his residence. The FBI previously raided his home on Tuesday, according to a gun violence restraining order obtained by CBS 8 in San Diego.
Paffendorf is alleged of being in contact with Rupnow and of planning a second attack in association with the Dec. 16 shooting.
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