Carlsbad police applied a gun violence emergency protective order against Alexander Charles Paffendorf in San Diego Superior Court.
FBI agents “stopped and detained” him after they allege he was discovered plotting a mass shooting with Natalie Samantha Rupnow, the suspected school shooter in Madison.
Highlights
- FBI agents have detained Alexander Paffendorf after he was discovered plotting a mass shooting with Natalie.
- He was born to his father, Andrew Paffendorf, who plays bass in Sonic Tonic.
- Alexander’s hearing has been scheduled for January 3, 2025.
A school soccer player, Paffendorf, allegedly admitted to authorities that he told Rupnow that he would arm himself with explosives and a gun and that he would target a government building.
FBI agents saw messages from Paffendorf to Rupnow. However, he has not been charged with a crime.
Rupnow allegedly opened fire with a handgun at Abundant Life Christian School on Monday, December 16, 2024, killing a fellow student and teacher. Six others were injured.
She died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, as per the authorities. Police are still investigating a motive for the shooting.
The restraining order requires Paffenforf to surrender all guns, ammunition, and magazines to law enforcement or sell them to or store them with a licensed firearms dealer within 48 hours of receipt of the order.
In a statement, the Carlsbad Police Department said,
“Carlsbad is not the lead agency on this investigation, but we are in communication with our federal partners, and we do not believe there to be a threat to our city. Because this is an ongoing investigation being handled by another agency, there are no other details to share at the moment.”
Carlsbad Police Department
The FBI said Thursday it is not aware of any ongoing threats associated with this matter in Wisconsin or California.
In addition, the agency said,
“The Madison Police Department is leading the ongoing investigation into the school shooting in Wisconsin with the assistance of the Milwaukee and San Diego field offices of the FBI, the Carlsbad, California Police Department, and other law enforcement partners. As this is an ongoing investigation, we do not have any further comment.”
FBI
Paffendorf’s hearing is scheduled for January 3, 2025. The California man’s attorney information was not immediately available.
Alexander Paffendorf’s Father Called Him His Little Bundle In One Of Social Media Post
Madison shooting plotter Alexander Paffendorf, 36, was born in 2004 in Califonia to his father, Andrew Paffendorf.
However, some sources have mentioned that Alexander’s mother’s name is Gabriella Kranish, who was against the government.
Andrew’s Facebook profile shows he is a professional musician playing bass for Sonic Tonic.
But he has deactivated his account following his son’s arrest in connection with a mass shooting in a Christian School.
In one of the posts by Andrew in 2018, he mentioned his son Alexander as a little bundle.
Moreover, in a 2022 Facebook post, Andrew Pafferndorf celebrated Alexander’s 18th birthday by saying he was taking his son to the UK.
In a reply comment made by Andrew in that same post, he claimed his son was touchy about getting his photo taken.
Some of the father’s posted photos are disturbing, particularly in light of the arrest of his son for conspiring to commit a mass shooting with Natalie.
A photo posted by Andrew in 2021 shows a skeleton lying in a pool of blood.
On March 3, 2022, Andrew’s photo contained a picture of a goat’s head with the words, “Black Phillip is My Spirit Animal.”
BREAKING NEWS ALERT: Andrew Paffendorf, the father of 20 year-old Alexander Paffendorf, decided it was a great thing to dress up as mass murderer Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th movie series while performing with his band Sonic Tonic. Alexander Paffendorf has been… pic.twitter.com/eakGkRvqWT
— Saint James Hartline (@JamesHartline) December 19, 2024
One Twitter user also posted a screenshot of Andrew’s official LinkedIn profile. Andrew mentioned himself as the Technical Training and Development Manager at iFit.
He mentioned that he has directly influenced sales in a positive direction by forming direct partnerships with sales teams to assist in product representation.
Moreover, Andrew attended the New York University School of Law and received a Doctor of Law (J.D.) in Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting, and Related Protective Services.
According to the official website of Sonic Tonic band, Andrew hails from Newburgh, NY, and was born to a Dixieland piano player.
He was exposed to music at a very young age. He played trombone and would jam with his father and friend during hours-long music sessions at home.
He started playing guitar in various bands in the Hudson Valley. The most successful band, The D.H.’s, managed a few gigs in various local towns where he played guitar.
After stepping away for years, Andrew decided to play again and joined O.S.G., Nattie, and The Casual Tease in San Diego.
In March 2015, Andrew and Rudy Manahan and Eyal Wigdor started a project that would become Sonic Tonic.
Alexander Paffendorf’s father Andrew’s LinkedIn page shows an extensive resume & education specifically mentioned law enforcement and homeland security. He’s worked at high levels internationally related to fitness, technology and has a history in security. pic.twitter.com/QGvEMwhLoc
— Ailis (@Freyazon) December 19, 2024
Andrew switched to bass and has never looked back. His musical influences are rooted in the alternative rock scene, but he also enjoys the classical rock he grew up on.
Moreover, he is a fan of the New Jersey Devils and used to play hockey with Ridy in the 1990s.
Additional Information
- Alexander’s father, Andrew, was the service and training development director at Intenza Fitness from March 2014 to July 2015.
- Andrew has also served as production training manager at Total Gym Solutions from August 2015 to August 2016.
- Police and the FBI went to Alexander’s home to seize his guns.
