A 17-year-old cousin of the Uvalde mass shooter who gunned down 19 children and two teachers at a school last year was arrested after he reportedly told his family that he planned to “do the same thing.”
Nathan Cruz, 17, was taken into custody on Monday and charged with making terroristic threats to a public place and threats to a family member, according to online jail records.
In an arrest warrant obtained by KSAT, Mr Cruz’s mother alerted the authorities after she discovered that her son had made statements that he planned to “shoot the school.”
She was “especially concerned because the suspect is currently on probation, was intoxicated at the time, and for the fact that they live near an elementary school,” the affidavit states. It was noted that they live across the street from the Gardendale Early Learning Program.
Mr Cruz is the cousin of Salvador Ramos, the 18-year-old who opened fire at Robb Elementary School in May 2022, San Antonio police Sgt Washington Moscoso told the New York Times.
Nathan Cruz, 17, is the cousin of Salvador Ramos, the 18-year-old who fatally shot 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in May 2022— (San Antonio Police Department)
Ramos was armed with an assault rifle and tactical vest when he carried out one of the deadliest school shootings in recent years.
He was eventually shot and killed by an officer but law enforcement’s response to the rampage and the decision to wait more than an hour to enter the classrooms where children were left dying has been heavily scrutinised.
More than a year later, Ramos’ cousin apparently told his sister that he planned to “do the same thing” as his cousin, according to an arrest affidavit. He later denied making the threats.
Salvador Ramos is the 18-year-old who opened fire at Robb Elementary School in May 2022— (Texas Department of Public Safety)
Mourners walk next to a mural of shooting victims before a candlelight vigil in Uvalde, Texas, Wednesday, May 24, 2023 on the one year anniversary of the rampage— (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
Mr Cruz’s mother added in her statement that he had threatened to shoot his sister in the head, and that his sister believed it was a credible threat “due to the recent history of their family and the suspect’s knowledge of his cousin’s actions.”
Sgt Moscoso of the San Antonio Police Department told The Times that the threats were serious enough to merit an arrest.
“She called the police because she was concerned of what her son was going to do,” he said.
“God knows what could have happened,” he added. “Because she did the right thing, this individual has been arrested.”
Mr Cruz is in the Bexar County Jail on a $160,000 bond, jail records show.
