Uvalde school shooter's cousin arrested for threatening to 'shoot the school'
DALLAS - A teenage cousin of the Uvalde school shooter is facing charges of making a similar threat against another school.
Police arrested 17-year-old Nathan Cruz on Monday after they received a call from his mother and sister.
Cruz’s mother reportedly overheard him on the phone trying to purchase an AR-15 rifle through an illegal sale.
According to court documents, Cruz’s sister told police that he had threatened to shoot her in the head and that he had stated he would "shoot the school."
The arrest warrant affidavit states the family lives near an elementary school in San Antonio.
Cruz is the cousin of Salvador Ramos.
Salvador Ramos is pictured in a handout image. (Credit: Texas Department of Public Safety)
Ramos was 18 when he opened fire at Robb Elementary School in May of 2022, killing 19 students and two teachers. He was fatally shot by law enforcement officers.
Cruz’s sister reportedly told her mother that Cruz was "planning to do the same thing."
After investigating the claims, detectives decided the alleged statements by Cruz’s family members were credible enough to warrant an arrest.
Cruz denied making the threats, according to the arrest warrant.
He is currently in jail facing two charges of making a terroristic threat against a public place and a family member.
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The records concern the botched police response, during which officers waited over an hour to confront the shooter who killed 19 children and two teachers.
A San Antonio police sergeant said his family did the right thing by alerting law enforcement even though it was a difficult step to take. He believes it’s the sort of response that can prevent another tragedy.
"Here's a case where somebody's own family member was making threats. And this family stood, you know, did the right thing. Made the right choice and called police," Sgt. Washington Moscoso said.
"It's frustrating, but it makes it all the more real because yeah we got lucky this time that somebody was brave enough to say something," said Brett Cross, who lost his son, Uziya Garcia, in the Robb Elementary shooting.
The new school year is just days away from starting in San Antonio.
Sgt. Moscoso said police did not find any weapons when they searched Cruz's home. But he said no school threat will be ignored and those who make threats can face severe consequences.