Federal agents detained a 20-year-old Carlsbad man in connection with the deadly school shooting in Madison, Wisconsin. They say he was communicating with the teen who killed two people before turning the gun on herself. NBC 7’s Shelby Bremer reports on Dec. 19, 2024.
A 20-year-old Carlsbad, California, man has been ordered to surrender his guns after authorities said he communicated with the teenage girl who committed a fatal school shooting in Wisconsin, allegedly expressing his own plans to carry out a deadly attack against a government building.
Police and FBI agents went to the home of Alexander Paffendorf on Tuesday night to seize his guns and ammunition after a San Diego Superior Court judge approved a gun violence restraining order, according to documents obtained by NBC San Diego.
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The restraining order said, in part: "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."
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Paffendorf was detained but has not been charged with any crime.
The Carlsbad Police Department told NBC San Diego on Wednesday night that "there is no threat to the Carlsbad community at this time." A spokesperson added that the investigation is being led by the Madison Police Department in Wisconsin.
The FBI's San Diego office declined to comment.
Neighbors say they saw more than a dozen agents and officers descend on the home on Tuesday.
"A couple hours into it, towards the end, they're carrying out a big black box," Carlsbad resident Alex Gallegos said. "Looked like a gun case of some sort."
The protective order, which is in effect until Monday, says firearms were reported and search for, but it doesn't say what officers found — if anything at all.
Gallegos said Paffendorf kept to himself and hasn't been spotted in the neighborhood since.
"I've only seen him a few times," the neighbor said. "He's real quiet, just seen him walk to his car and back, said hello, that's about it."
On Monday, 15-year-old Natalie "Samantha" Rupnow fatally shot a teacher and a student and wounded six other people at Abundant Life Christian School, in Madison, Wisconsin.
Rupnow was later found dead at the scene with what were believed to be self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
