Uvalde Gunman’s Cousin Arrested After Mother Reports He Was Planning to do ‘The Same Thing’ at Nearby School

Nathan Cruz, the 17-year-old cousin of Uvalde, Texas shooter Salvador Ramos, was arrested this week for allegedly planning a similar massacre.

As reported by ABC13, San Antonio police got a call from Cruz’s mother on Monday. She told authorities that she overheard her son attempting to get an AR-15 rifle illegally over the phone.

This harrowing report comes more than a year after the tragic Uvalde shooting conducted by Cruz’s cousin Ramos. The Robb Elementary School massacre took the lives of 21 victims, including 19 fourth-grade students ages of nine to 11. Teachers Irma Linda Garcia, 48, and Eva Mireles, 44, were also murdered.

The Uvalde shook Uvalde to the core, giving more reason for Cruz’s swift arrest.

Cruz, the Uvalde shooter’s cousin, made two terrifying threats

According to CNN, authorities arrested Cruz on a felony charge of making a terroristic threat to a public place.

Police also charged the 17-year-old with a misdemeanor for making a terroristic threat against a family member. This seems connected to Cruz’s sister telling investigators he threatened her in the car.

In fact, the case’s affidavit says he “threatened to shoot [his sister] in the head and stated he would ‘shoot the school'” nearby.

As per ABC13, the family lives directly across from an elementary school.

Worried, Cruz’s mother called the police to report her son. She said she was “especially concerned because the suspect is currently on probation [and] was intoxicated at the time.”

The 17-year-old allegedly told his sister he wanted to “do the same thing” as his cousin Ramos. Of course, this sounded the alarm for both his family and authorities — leading to the arrest and charges.

What San Antonio police is saying about Cruz’s arrest

San Antonio Police Department posted an update about the case on Facebook.

They wrote, “On August 7th, 2023, #SAPD received information that Nathan Cruz was threatening to commit a school shooting.”

“After a family member notified police of the threats being made, SAPD officers contacted the reporting family member, and took the report,” they explained. “Upon further investigation, detectives were able to gather enough evidence to produce an arrest warrant for Terroristic Threat.”

As the police department put it, Cruz’s quick arrest is “an example of See Something, Say Something.”

“Here a family member called police, resulting in detectives investigating the case which concluded in an [arrest],” authorities described.

Police also said they will take “all” reports seriously to prevent other tragedies similarly. “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.”

Brett Cross, the father of Uvalde victim Uziyah “Uzi” Garcia, agreed to FOX that speaking out quickly is crucial.

“This is a sick individual, but thankfully, he was stopped,” he said. “People don’t just joke about shooting up schools or committing mass murders.”

“I wholeheartedly believe they just saved innocent lives,” the father described, commending Cruz’s family for turning him in.

“This person is now off the streets. If somebody would’ve just done that a year ago, my son would still be here.”