According to reports, the 15-year-old student who shot and killed a student and teacher at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, earlier this week communicated with a 20-year-old man from California who was planning a mass shooting at a government building.
A California judge issued the man a restraining order late Tuesday night under the state’s gun red flag law. The directive specified that he must “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 is he doing with the shooter?
According to the Washington Post, the FBI was holding Alexander Paffendorf, a Carlsbad, California resident. According to the Journal Sentinel, the judge’s restraining order stated that FBI authorities discovered text exchanges between Paffendorf and the Wisconsin shooter, Natalie “Samantha” Rupnow.
According to the order, Paffendorf informed FBI agents that he had told Rupnow that he intended to attack a government building with explosives and a gun.
The directive did not specify which building the guy was meant to assault or when he planned to do so, nor did it mention his contacts with Rupnow, “other than to say that the man was planning a mass shooting with her.”
When asked about the California man, the Madison Police Department contacted the FBI’s San Diego field office for comment, but they declined.
This comes as Madison, Wisconsin, police continue to investigate the Monday killing of three people, including Rupnow.
The Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the two people who died as 14-year-old student Rubi Vergara and 42-year-old teacher Erin West. According to the medical examiner’s office, the autopsies revealed that both died of “homicidal firearm-related trauma.” According to the police, Rupnow committed suicide with a gun.
Police are still investigating the circumstances surrounding Monday’s shooting, which occurred in a study hall classroom with students from various grades. Police discovered two guns at the school, one of which was the handgun that they believe Rupnow used in the attack.
The Madison Police Department said in a statement Wednesday that they are looking into Rupnow’s social media posts, her contacts with school kids, and her family to “learn about her behavior before Monday’s shooting.”
The press release continued: “Our team is looking to connect with anyone who may have interacted with Natalie Rupnow in the days and weeks leading up to the shooting.” It asked anyone with information to call the police.