A 20-year-old man from California was taken into custody for allegedly planning a mass shooting at a government facility in coordination with a teenage girl who carried out a deadly attack at a Christian school in Wisconsin earlier this week, according to reports.
Alexander Paffendorf, from Carlsbad, reportedly exchanged messages with 15-year-old Natalie “Samantha” Rupnow about launching a parallel assault. While Rupnow targeted the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Paffendorf allegedly planned to attack a local government building, according to a gun violence restraining order cited by CBS 8.
“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 emergency restraining order issued by the Carlsbad Police Department states.
The civil order does not specify which government building Paffendorf allegedly intended to attack or provide further details about his conversations with Rupnow. The 15-year-old, who was a student at the Christian school, ended her life after fatally shooting Erin West, a 42-year-old substitute teacher, and Rubi Vergara, a 14-year-old freshman.
On Tuesday night, a San Diego Superior Court judge approved the restraining order under California’s red flag law, CBS 8 reported.
The court order mandates that Paffendorf surrender any firearms and ammunition to authorities within 48 hours or sooner.
Shortly after the order was issued, more than a dozen law enforcement vehicles arrived at Paffendorf’s residence, according to neighbors.
“They had their full guns out all over the street,” neighbor Alex Gallegos told CBS 8. “There were cop cars. I’d say about 15 cops here.” He added that officers were seen removing a large gun box from the home.
The exchanges between Paffendorf and Rupnow may offer insight into the high school freshman’s motivation for the shooting at her school. Investigators are continuing to probe the reasons behind the tragic act of violence.
In addition to the two individuals she killed, Rupnow injured five students and another teacher. As of now, two of the students remain in critical condition.
{Matzav.com}
