Current:Home > InvestCousin of Uvalde gunman arrested over making school shooting threat, court records say-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Cousin of Uvalde gunman arrested over making school shooting threat, court records say
View Date:2024-12-23 22:31:35
The teenage cousin of the Uvalde, Texas, school shooter was arrested after his family told police he was trying to buy a gun and "do the same thing," court records show.
San Antonio police took Nathan James Cruz, 17, into custody Monday on two charges of terroristic threat. Cruz, according to court records, is a cousin of the teenage gunman who killed 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde last year.
Officers responded to a mental health call after Cruz's mother alerted police of violent comments he had made to his sister, an arrest affidavit obtained by local and national news outlets said. The suspect told his sister that he planned to "do the same thing" as his cousin, the New York Times reported.
Cruz denied making any threats when he was interviewed by detectives. NPR reported the suspect's mother was concerned because her son was "intoxicated" when he made the threat and because their residence is across the street from the elementary school.
She also "overheard a phone conversation the suspect made this morning in which the suspect attempted to acquire an AR-15 through an illegal private sale," the Times reported, citing the arrest affidavit.
Cruz faces a felony charge of making a terroristic threat to a public place and a misdemeanor charge of making a terroristic threat against a family member, according to Bexar County Central Magistrate records. His charges were set at a total bond of $160,000.
"Here a family member called police, resulting in detectives investigating the case which concluded in an arrested," the San Antonio Police Department said Tuesday on Facebook. "With school starting, SAPD wants parents and faculty to know, that SAPD takes all reports of threats seriously and will investigate and take appropriate action."
USA TODAY reached out to the San Antonio Police Department for comment.
TIMELINE OF THE MASSACRE:How Texas elementary school shooting, deadliest since Sandy Hook, unfolded
Sister said teen threatened to 'shoot the school'
His sister told police that Cruz threatened to shoot her in the head. Cruz also told her that he would "shoot the school," adding that "School is starting soon," the arrest affidavit said.
Cruz denied making any threats when interviewed by detectives, according to the court record. The Bexar County Public Defender’s Office, which is representing him, declined to comment.
San Antonio Police Sgt. Washington Moscoso confirmed to the Times that Cruz is a cousin of Salvador Ramos, the 18-year-old who had walked into Robb Elementary School in Uvalde on the morning of May 24 and opened fire. The massacre left 19 children and two teachers dead, making it Texas' deadliest school shooting in modern history.
Nearly 400 law enforcement members had responded to the incident but were unable to stop the shooting. The response was heavily criticized as authorities waited more than an hour before entering a fourth-grade classroom.
Following the attack, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has waved off calls for tougher gun laws, just as he did after mass shootings at a Sutherland Springs church in 2017 and an El Paso Walmart in 2018. The issue didn’t turn Texas voters away from the Republican, who easily won a third term months after the shooting.
'AFTERMATH HAS ADDED TO THE TRAUMA':Kimberly Mata-Rubio, mother of Uvalde school shooting victim, announces run for city mayor
Contributing: Associated Press
veryGood! (73446)
Related
- Get $103 Worth of Tatcha Skincare for $43.98 + 70% Off Flash Deals on Elemis, Josie Maran & More
- Biden announces 5 federal judicial nominees, including first Muslim American to U.S. circuit court if confirmed
- 'Ted Lasso' reunion: Jason Sudeikis and Hannah Waddingham share 'A Star Is Born' duet
- Why Omid Scobie Believes There's No Going Back for Prince Harry and Prince William's Relationship
- Powerball winning numbers for November 11 drawing: Jackpot hits $103 million
- A bald eagle was shot and euthanized in Virginia. Now wildlife officials want answers.
- Russian court convicts a woman for protesting the war in Ukraine in latest crackdown on free speech
- 'Our boat is sinking!': Woman killed after double-decker ferry sinks in Bahamas
- New Mexico secretary of state says she’s experiencing harassment after the election
- Josh Allen: Bills aren’t ‘broken.’ But their backs are against the wall to reach playoffs
Ranking
- To Protect the Ozone Layer and Slow Global Warming, Fertilizers Must Be Deployed More Efficiently, UN Says
- Nikki Haley calls for name verification in social media profiles: This is a national security threat
- Jennifer Aniston reflects on 'Friends' co-star Matthew Perry in emotional tribute: 'Chosen family'
- Vatican plans to gradually replace car fleet with electric vehicles in deal with VW
- Crews battle 'rapid spread' conditions against Jennings Creek fire in Northeast
- TikTok and Meta challenge Europe’s new rules that crack down on digital giants
- Thousands of Starbucks workers are expected to go on a one-day strike
- Plant-based meat is a simple solution to climate woes - if more people would eat it
Recommendation
-
Digital Finance Research Institute Introduce
-
Thousands of California scientists strike over stalled contract talks
-
92-year-old driver survives night in life-threatening temperatures after falling down embankment in Oregon
-
Supplies alone won’t save Gaza hospital patients and evacuation remains perilous, experts say
-
Celtics' Jaylen Brown calls Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo a 'child' over fake handshake
-
Blake Snell wins NL Cy Young Award, 7th pitcher to take home prize in both leagues
-
Texas A&M firing Jimbo Fisher started the coaching carousel. College Football Fix discusses
-
Protesters in San Francisco attempted to shut down APEC summit: 'We can have a better society'