A Southern California man with ties to the Madison, Wisconsin, school shooter is allegedly plotting to attack government buildings, according to records and media reports.
A San Diego County Superior Court judge Tuesday night approved a gun violence emergency protective order filed by the Carlsbad Police Department against local resident Alexander Paffendorf, according to online records reviewed by The Times. This is a civil action that allows law enforcement to seize weapons from individuals deemed to be a threat to themselves or others.
Carlsbad police did not respond Wednesday night to a request for comment or a request for a copy of the original order. However, a copy obtained by CBS 8 shows that FBI agents were informed that the 20-year-old was suspected of planning to carry out a mass shooting with 15-year-old Natalie “Samantha” Rupnow. , detained him.
Authorities said Rupnow shot and killed a teacher and a teenage student at Abundant Life Christian School in Wisconsin on Monday and wounded six others before dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
According to CBS 8, the restraining order states, “During an interview with the FBI, Paffendorf admitted to FBI agents that he told Rupnow that he would arm himself with explosives and a gun and use Government buildings were targeted.
In an online Q&A about the shooting, the Madison Police Department acknowledged questions “regarding an individual arrested in California who may be involved in the shooting” but referred all inquiries to the FBI. The bureau declined to comment on Paffendorf.
As of Wednesday evening, Paffendorf’s name did not appear in the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office’s online detention records.
Shortly after the restraining order was approved, residents near Paffendorf’s apartments reported seeing multiple police cars entering the area, CBS 8 reported.
Neighbor Alex Gallegos told the station he saw about 15 police officers drive into the building. They then left Paffendorf’s apartment with what Gallegos said looked like a “black gun case.”
“I’m glad they have the situation under control and hopefully get to the bottom of it before something bad happens to our county,” he told the station.
