Wisconsin shooter received messages from 20-year-old California man who was allegedly plotting his own attack, reports say
The 15-year-old student who police say shot and killed a student and teacher at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wis., earlier this week was in contact with a 20-year-old California man who was plotting a mass shooting at a government building, reports say.
According to the Associated Press, the man was issued a restraining order by a judge late Tuesday under California’s gun red flag law, which required him to “turn his guns and ammunition into police within 48 hours unless an officer asks for them sooner because he poses an immediate danger to himself and others.”
What’s his connection to the shooter?
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the man, identified as Alexander Paffendorf of Carlsbad, Calif., was detained by the FBI. According to Journal Sentinel’s report, the judge’s restraining order stated that FBI agents saw text messages from Paffendorf to the Wisconsin shooter, identified as Natalie “Samantha” Rupnow.
"During an FBI interview, Paffendorf admitted to the FBI agents that he told Rupnow that he would arm himself with explosives and a gun and that he would target a government building,” the order said, per the Sentinel.
According to the AP, the order did not specify what building the man had allegedly targeted or when he planned to carry out the attack, nor did it detail his interactions with Rupnow “except to state that the man was plotting a mass shooting with her.”
The Madison Police Department referred questions about the California man to the FBI’s San Diego field office, which declined comment.
Latest on the investigation
The development comes as police in Madison, Wis., continue their investigation into Monday’s shooting, which left three people, including Rupnow, dead.
The Dane County Medical Examiner’s office identified the victims as Erin West, a 42-year-old teacher, and Rubi Vergara, a 14-year-old student. Preliminary findings from their autopsies indicate that both died due to "homicidal firearm-related trauma," the medical examiner’s office said. Rupnow died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to authorities.
Police have yet to establish a motive for Monday’s shooting, which authorities said happened inside a study hall classroom full of students from mixed grades. Two firearms were recovered at the school, including a handgun that police said Rupnow used in the attack.
Investigators are combing through Rupnow’s social media activity and investigating her relationships with students at the school and her family to “learn about her behavior prior to Monday’s shooting,” the Madison Police Department said in a statement Wednesday.
“Our team is looking to connect to anyone who may have interacted with Natalie Rupnow in the days and weeks leading up to the shooting,” it added, urging those with information to contact police.
