A teenage cousin of the Uvalde school shooter was arrested Monday after he allegedly threatened to “do the same thing,” police said.
The 17-year-old's mother called San Antonio police warning them that her son, Nathan James Cruz, was making the threats. He was reportedly on probation at the time, intoxicated, and she was “especially concerned” because they lived across from an elementary school.
She told law enforcement officers that she overheard her son on the phone trying to “acquire an AR-15 through an illegal private sale,” the affidavit said.
He also threatened to shoot his sister in the head, said he would "shoot the school," and made a comment that "school is starting soon."
The sister told police she believed the threat was credible “due to the recent history of their family and the suspect’s knowledge of his cousin’s actions,” according to police documents.
Cruz's cousin, Salvador Ramos, fatally shot 19 students and two teachers in 2022 at Robb Elementary School. He was killed by police at the scene.
“She called the police because she was concerned of what her son was going to do,” Sergeant Moscoso said, according to The New York Times.
“God knows what could have happened,” he added. “Because she did the right thing, this individual has been arrested.”
Police yesterday arrested a 17-year-old cousin of the Uvalde school mass shooter after he allegedly threatened to “do the same thing” to another school. pic.twitter.com/ootmNOLLs5
— The Recount (@therecount) August 8, 2023
A state criminal investigation into the police response at Robb Elementary School remains ongoing after officers waited for over an hours to confront and kill the gunman.