A school shooter’s cousin was arrested Monday after allegedly threatening to shoot up a school, local authorities said.
A 17-year-old who claims to be the cousin of the Uvalde school shooter reportedly threatened to shoot up a local school and kill a relative Monday before his arrest, according to KSAT.
“According to court documents, the teen’s mother reported that the suspect was planning to “do the same thing” as his cousin.”
😳San Antonio teen, cousin of Uvalde school shooter, arrested for alleged threats against local schoolhttps://t.co/5ZvORVX21B
— Denise ‘You have fouled your nest, not us’ (@thebax33) August 8, 2023
Nathan Cruz planned to follow in the footsteps of family member Salvador Ramos, who was killed by police while carrying out the Robb Elementary shooting that killed 19 students and two teachers in May 2022, according to a warrant describing a Monday mental health call. The person on the phone claimed the criminal’s cousin intended to “do the same thing,” prompting the dispatch of San Antonio police.
The caller was a member of Cruz’s family who feared that he would fire upon the elementary school they lived across the street from. These fears emerged from Cruz threateningly telling another relative that “school is starting soon,” the warrant states. (RELATED: Texas Rep Reveals ‘Disgusting Message’ Written On Whiteboard by Uvalde Shooter)
Cruz also “attempted to acquire an AR-15 through an illegal private sale,” a family member who overheard Cruz’s conversation with an unidentified individual claimed in the warrant.
The thwarted school shooter faces felony charges of making a terroristic threat to the public and a misdemeanor charge of making a terroristic threat to a family member, according to records. He was booked into Bexar County Jail following his Monday arrest.
Cruz’s family claims the suspect was on probation prior to his arrest, but there is no criminal record available, meaning his previous charges could have been filed when he was a minor, KSAT noted.