A teenage boy, identified as the cousin of Uvalde school shooter Salvador Ramos, was arrested in San Antonio, Texas on Monday for allegedly planning a copycat massacre. Nathan Cruz, 17, was reported to local authorities after stating he planned to “do the same thing” as his cousin.
In May 2022, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas in a fatal shooting while 17 others at the school escaped with non-fatal injuries.
Further compounding the tragedy was the fact that nearly 400 law enforcement officers were on the scene for 77 minutes without intervening, claiming they were held back by locked doors that were later found to have been open the entire time. Ramos was eventually gunned down by members of the United States Border Patrol Tactical Unit who responded to the scene and bypassed the waiting police officers.
© San Antonio PD
According to the mental health call placed early on Monday, Ramos’ cousin Nathan Cruz was allegedly considering carrying out a similar shooting. Cruz’s mother told San Antonio police that her son had threatened to shoot his sister in the head, then ominously remarked that “school is starting soon” and said he might “do the same thing” as Ramos.
Cruz’s sister believed this threat was credible “due to the recent history of their family and the suspect’s knowledge of his cousin’s actions,” according to police.
“The suspect’s mother 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,” Cruz’s arrest affidavit states.
Cruz’s mother also reported that she overheard her son attempting to illegally purchase an AR15 over the phone, though detectives have not yet determined who he was attempting to buy it from.
Cruz was arrested and charged with a felony count of making a terroristic threat, as well as a misdemeanor charge of a terroristic threat against a family member. During police questioning, he denied making any of these statements. Court filings show that his charges carry a combined $160,000 bond.
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