Family Member of Wisconsin School Shooting Victim Forgives Shooter at Funeral

A family member of teenager Rubi Vergara -- who died in the Wisconsin school shooting earlier this week -- expressed forgiveness for the shooter at Rubi's funeral.

In front of a large crowd, who came to pay their respects to 14-year-old Rubi Saturday, the New York Post reports Vergara's uncle -- Andy Remus -- said the family holds "no bitterness or unforgiveness towards 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow and her family."

Remus says Rupnow's family lost a daughter too ... and, Rupnow -- a "precious child of God" -- simply lost her way before the shooting.

Vergara's uncle says the family is choosing to think of all the love and kindness Rubi brought into the world ... instead of feeling incensed about the way her life was ended.

The service was held at City Church -- a house of worship located near where the shooting took place on Monday.

As you know ... Rupnow killed Vergara and teacher 42-year-old Erin West before taking her own life at the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, WI Monday.

While her motivation remains unclear, Carlsbad, California resident Alexander Paffendorf was detained for allegedly exchanging messages with Natalie, where he said he would open fire on a local government building.

We spoke with a former neighbor of Paffendorf -- who lived next to Natalie for years before moving to Carlsbad -- and, the neighbor claims Alexander showed troubling anti-social behavior when he lived in the building.