Florida man connected to 15-year-old Madison school shooter

Palm Beach police arrested a 22-year-old with 18 guns, a grenade launcher, more than 12,000 rounds of ammo, police uniforms, military uniforms, and a fake police car.

Before a 15-year-old girl opened fire inside her Madison, WI high school last December, she was talking online with a 22-year-old Florida man. He pretended to be a police officer, talked about his own mass shooting plots, and encouraged her to commit a school shooting.

Last Friday, Palm Beach Deputies arrested Damien Blade Allen, 22. They say he chatted with Natalie "Samantha" Rupnow, 15, over TikTok from May 2024 through September 2024. She opened fire at Abundant Life Christian School three months later, killing a classmate and teacher, wounding six others, and then killing herself before police arrived.

Allen portrayed himself as a sheriff’s deputy on social media, appearing in videos and photos wearing a replica PBSO uniform. In one video, he displayed a rifle inside of a Crown Ford Victoria car with a laptop setup in the center console to look like an unmarked police vehicle. Ironically, he posted in a police uniform in front of a “don’t tread on me” flag that’s often carried by anti-government and militia groups.

According to Allen's arrest report, the FBI found conversations in which Allen and Rupnow discussed tactical gear, firearms, and possible mass shooting locations. It’s unclear why the FBI didn’t take action on these conversations that happened ~6 months before the school shooting in Madison, WI.

Allen said he had several places in mind, including a police station. He told Rupnow he had an arsenal of high-capacity weapons, ammo, bullet-proof vests and helmets, and grenades.

"My loadout is set up for war," he said. Before the school shooting he told her, “We go down together.”

What was his “loadout”?

In video games, a "loadout" refers to the set of equipment, weapons, and gear that a player chooses to carry into a game or mission. It’s essentially the player's personalized setup for combat or gameplay, tailored to their strategy and playstyle.

This 22-year-old owned 18 firearms including assault-style rifles and handguns, a grenade launcher (top), 12,000 rounds of ammo, ballistic armor, military helmets, taser, and other tactical gear. He had multiple uniforms including a Palm Beach County, FL deputy uniform, an FBI uniform, Marine Corps dress uniform, and an Army Ranger uniform. He also had a generic military uniform with nazi insignia and a nazi flag.

The presence of the nazi flag is important because Madison school shooter Natalie “Samantha” Rupnow posted a white power hand sign on social media right before her attack. Being involved with an older man who had neo-nazi beliefs was part of her pathway to violence. Idolizing or identifying as a nazi is one of the most common behaviors across every generation of school shooters since the 1960s.

Back to 22-year-old Damien Allen in Palm Beach, FL. His collection of firearms, combat gear, and ammo aren’t cheap items. My rough estimate is about $20,000 in guns and equipment plus another $12,000 in ammunition.

It’s absolutely insane that someone in their young 20s can afford to spend more than $30,000 on a combat arsenal (plus a vehicle) mocked-up to look like an unmarked police car with a laptop and radio) without raising any attention for police or the FBI.