The teenage cousin of the Uvalde, Texas, school shooter has been arrested after he threatened to “do the same thing” at a local school, police said Tuesday.
The 17-year-old, whom 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 making a terroristic threat in a public place causing fear of serious bodily injury.
The boy's mother called San Antonio police 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 School in Uvalde 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 boy’s mother was “especially concerned” because her son was on probation and was intoxicated at the time and because they lived directly across from an elementary school, the affidavit said.
The woman had called police after the suspect made alarming comments to his sister, who then told her mother, authorities said.
The woman told detectives she overheard a phone conversation her son had that morning trying 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 that while they were 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 that “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, San Antonio police said. The charge of threatening to commit an act of violence to cause serious bodily injury was in connection with his alleged comments to his sister, and the terroristic threat charge was in connection with his alleged comments toward the school, authorities said.
It was not immediately clear whether he has an attorney.
The Edgewood Independent School District said in a statement that it was aware a teenager was in police custody accused of making a threat against a school on the city's west side, NBC affiliate WOAI of San Antonio reported.
“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.
