Madison, Wisonsin School Shooter Planned Second Attack with 20-Year-Old Accomplice, FBI Reveals

Madison, Wisconsin, school shooter Samantha Rupnow was allegedly planning another mass shooting with a 20-year-old accomplice.

Alexander Paffendorf of Carlsbad, California, is accused of conspiring with Rupnow to carry out an attack on a government building. According to a gun violence restraining order obtained by CBS 8, FBI agents uncovered Paffendorf’s communications with Rupnow and his plans to target the building.

This civil action, not a criminal one, allows law enforcement to confiscate weapons. The restraining order states that Paffendorf admitted key details during an FBI interview.

“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,” reads the two-page order from the Carlsbad Police Department. The FBI also reportedly “saw the messages from Paffendorf to Rupnow.”

On December 17th, at 8:51 p.m., a San Diego Superior Court judge approved the restraining order. Shortly after, neighbors witnessed a heavy police presence at Paffendorf’s residence.

“They had their full guns out all over the street,” said neighbor Alex Gallegos. “There were cop cars—about 15 cops here.”

Gallegos described seeing officers carrying a “black gun box” but noted no arrests.

“It sounds pretty wild and scary that this could happen so close to home,” he added.

The action follows a tragic shooting at Madison’s Abundant Life Christian School, where 15-year-old Rupnow killed two and injured several others before taking her own life.