The teenage cousin of the Uvalde, Texas, school shooter has been arrested after threatening to “do the same thing” at a local school, police said Tuesday.
The 17-year-old, who NBC News is not naming as he is a minor, was arrested Monday on charges of threatening to commit an act of violence to cause serious bodily injury and terroristic threat — public place fear of serious bodily injury.
The boy’s mother called the San Antonio Police Department Monday, saying her son was threatening to commit a school shooting, police said.
She said he “planned to ‘do the same thing’ as his cousin, who committed a mass shooting 2022 at an elementary school,” the arrest warrant affidavit said.
The teenage suspect is the cousin of Salvador Ramos, who killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, in May 2022. Police did not state the boys’ familial relationship but said the affidavit was factual.
Sgt. Washington Moscoso confirmed they are cousins to the New York Times.
The mother was “especially concerned” because her son was on probation, was intoxicated at the time, and they lived directly across from an elementary school, the affidavit said.
The mother had called police after the teenage suspect made alarming comments to his sister, who then told her mother.
The mother told detectives she overheard a phone conversation her son had that morning attempting to “acquire an AR-15 through an illegal private sale” with an unknown actor, the affidavit said.
The sister told police that she had given her brother a ride and while in the car he “threatened to shoot her in the head and stated that he would ‘shoot the school,’” the affidavit said. He allegedly noted, “school is starting soon.”
The sister believed the threat was credible “due to the recent history of their family and the suspect’s knowledge of his cousin’s actions,” police documents said.
The teenage suspect was taken into custody, interviewed by a detective and “denied making any threats,” the file said.
He was arrested on an active warrant, the San Antonio Police Department said. The charge of threatening to commit an act of violence to cause serious bodily injury was in connection with his comments to his sister and terroristic threat in connection with his comments towards the school.
It’s not immediately clear if he has an attorney.
The Edgewood Independent School District said in a statement to NBC affiliate WOAI of San Antonio that it was aware a teenager was in police custody, accused of making a threat against a school on the city’s west side.
“Edgewood ISD is committed to the safety and security of all students, faculty, and staff. Each campus has an assigned Safety Officer. We encourage everyone to report any suspicious activity,” the statement said.
Police called the case an example of “see something, say something.”
“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,” police said.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
