Florida Authorities Believe They Just Prevented a Mass Shooting — by Suspect Allegedly Chatting Up Another Killer

• Florida authorities arrested Damien Allen, 22, on April 29 after an investigation of his social media.
• Allen was allegedly making threats online to commit a mass shooting and was previously chatting with Samantha Rupnow, who committed a mass shooting in Wisconsin in December 2024.
• Allen faces felony charges of making written threats, and police are seeking to seize his massive cache of weapons.

Florida authorities believe they may have just prevented a mass shooting after arresting a Palm Beach man who allegedly posted online about the attack he wanted to carry out — all while maintaining a massive stockpile of weapons.

Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputies arrested Damien Allen on April 29 after a monthlong investigation of Allen’s activity on social media, where he would allegedly post threats to commit multiple mass shootings, according to an arrest report obtained by PEOPLE. 

Authorities say that Allen was also chatting with Natalie “Samantha” Rupnow about his plans over TikTok, per the arrest report.

Rupnow, who was 15 at the time, conducted a mass shooting on Dec. 17, 2024, shooting and killing a teacher and student and wounding six others at Abundant Life Christian School in Wisconsin before turning the gun on herself.

“Once you get to a point, there’s no going back,” Allen wrote to Rupnow on TikTok on May 23, 2024, according to the arrest report. “I got 7 places I would, strike the police dept. also, Gorilla warfare tactics, Ambushing and blitz.”

On June 7, 2024, according to the arrest report, Allen wrote to Rupnow, “We go down together,” to which she responded, “Correct.” Afterwards, they said “I love you” to each other.

Deputies say they found that the 22-year-old had amassed an arsenal of 18 firearms, more than 12,000 rounds of ammunition, ballistic armor, tactical gear and multiple uniforms, including a Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office deputy uniform and several different military uniforms. 

Deputies arrested Allen on felony charges of written threats to kill, do bodily injury or conduct a mass shooting or act of terrorism, unlawful use of a two-way communications device and unlawful use of a badge impersonating an officer, according to an arrest report. 

Allen remains in custody at the Palm Beach County Jail on a $50,000 bond and is set to be represented by the Public Defender’s Office, according to his online court records. 

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In addition to the felony charges, the sheriff’s office filed a petition with a judge to temporarily remove Allen’s firearms under Florida’s Risk Protection Order Act which removes firearms from a person if they’re deemed a threat to themselves or others. 

In their petition, deputies say that Allen “poses a significant danger of causing personal injury to himself or others by having a firearm.” The circuit judge, Donald Hafele, scheduled a hearing on May 15 to discuss the risk protection order.