California man told Wisconsin shooting suspect about plan to attack a government building, gun order says

A California man was detained by the FBI and ordered to have his guns temporarily seized after he allegedly communicated with the 15-year-old shooter who killed two people at her Wisconsin school, documents show.

The gun violence emergency protective order was served to a 20-year-old in Carlsbad in San Diego County on Tuesday, according to the order, which was obtained by NBC San Diego.

The narrative of the order says the California man had communicated with Natalie “Samantha” Rupnow, who police say opened fire Monday at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, which she attended, killing two people before she killed herself.

The FBI detained the man “after he was discovered plotting a mass shooting with the Madison Wisconsin shooter,” a Carlsbad police officer wrote in the gun order.

The man “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 Carlsbad officer wrote.

The FBI saw messages between him and Rupnow, the order says. It does not go into further detail about the communication or the alleged plans.

The order was approved by a San Diego County judge and served at the Carlsbad home just before 9 p.m. Tuesday, it shows. A court hearing about the order is set for Jan. 3, the document reads.

The order says guns were reported and searched for, but it does not say police seized any. The order requires someone to turn over firearms and not to possess any guns while it is in effect.

A spokesperson for the FBI’s San Diego field office declined to comment Wednesday evening.

Carlsbad police said the investigation is being led by Madison police. A Madison police spokesperson referred questions to the FBI.

It’s not clear whether there are any criminal charges in the matter. None of the agencies mentioned criminal charges, and a spokesperson for the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

No cases with the man’s name appeared in an online search of criminal cases in the county Wednesday night.  

A phone number for the man or his family could not immediately be found in public records Wednesday.

“There is no threat to the Carlsbad community at this time,” Carlsbad police said in a statement.

Investigators in Madison are working to determine a motive in the shooting Monday morning.

Rupnow, a freshman, opened fire at a study hall that had mixed grades, Madison police said.

A staff member, Erin West, 42, and a student, Rubi Vergara, 14, were killed, the Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office said, and other people were injured.

Rubi was in the ninth grade, and “her gentle, loving, and kind heart was reflected in her smile,” the school said in a statement Wednesday after their names were released. “Often seen with a book in hand, she had a gift for art and music,” it said.

West was a substitute teacher who became a full-time staff member. “ALCS is a better school for the work of Erin West,” the school said.

Two students sustained life-threatening injuries, and they remained hospitalized Wednesday, police said. Four other people with minor injuries have been discharged.

Two guns were found at the school, only one of which was used in the shooting, police said in a statement Wednesday. Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes has said the gun that was used was a handgun.

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has completed its data trace of the guns, but police said more information about the weapons was not being released Wednesday.

Police are looking at Rupnow’s social media accounts as part of the investigation, the police department said.

“Our team is looking to connect to anyone who may have interacted with Natalie Rupnow in the days and weeks leading up to the shooting,” Madison police said in Wednesday’s statement.