Cousin of Uvalde school shooter accused of threatening to ‘do the same thing’

SAN ANTONIO — The teen cousin of the Uvalde mass shooter is accused of threatening to “do the same thing” to another Texas school, authorities said.

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Nathan James Cruz, 17, of San Antonio, faces two felony charges of making terrorist threats and a misdemeanor charge of making a terroristic threat against a family member, KSAT-TV reported, citing Bexar County Central Magistrate records.

Those charges were confirmed to The New York Times by Sgt. Washington Moscoso of the San Antonio Police Department.

According to the teen’s mother, Cruz is the cousin of Salvador Ramos, 18, who killed 19 students and two teachers with an AR-15-style weapon at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde in May 2022, the San Antonio Express-News reported. Ramos was killed by police officers at the school, according to KENS-TV.

Cruz’s mother allegedly told San Antonio police officers who responded to a mental health call early Monday that the teen had made the threats, according to the Express-News.

According to an arrest affidavit, Cruz allegedly told his sister that he planned to “do the same thing” as his cousin. In an interview with detectives, Cruz denied making the threats, the newspaper reported.

“The suspect’s mother was especially concerned because the suspect is currently on probation, was intoxicated at the time, and for the fact that they live near an elementary school,” the affidavit stated.

According to the affidavit, Cruz’s mother said she overheard the teen on the telephone, allegedly trying to obtain an AR-15 illegally, the Express-News reported.

The family lives across the street from Gardendale Early Learning Program, an elementary school in San Antonio, according to the newspaper.

“She called the police because she was concerned of what her son was going to do,” Moscoso told the Times.
“God knows what could have happened. Because she did the right thing, this individual has been arrested.”

According to Cruz’s mother, the teen also threatened to shoot his sister in the head, according to the Express-News. His sister believed the threat was a credible one “due to the recent history of their family and the suspect’s knowledge of his cousin’s actions, according to the affidavit.

“The only thing my mom was trying to do by calling the cops was to get him help. He needs mental help. He doesn’t need to be locked up,” another one of Cruz’s sisters said, according to the Express-News.

Cruz was being held at the Bexar County Jail, with bail set at $160,000, online records show.

He is scheduled for a pretrial hearing on Sept. 5, according to Bexar County online court records.