Cousin of Uvalde Shooter Accused of Similar Plot

A mother in San Antonio, Texas, called police on her 17-year-old son because she feared he was planning a massacre at an elementary school. The chilling twist: He is the cousin of the teen who did the same thing in Uvalde, Texas, reports the New York Times. Police arrested Nathan Cruz, cousin of 18-year-old Uvalde shooter Salvador Ramos. His mother told authorities that he said he planned to "shoot the school" and "do the same thing" as his cousin, according to an arrest affidavit. She said she also heard him on the phone trying to acquire an AR-15, per KSAT. The family lives near an unnamed elementary school.

"She called the police because she was concerned of what her son was going to do," says Sgt. Washington Moscoso of the San Antonio Police Department. "God knows what could have happened." The suspect's sister also told police that he had threatened to shoot her as well, and that she feared for her life. Cruz, charged with making a terroristic threat to a public place, denied making any such threats, reports CNN. San Antonio is about 80 miles east of Uvalde, where Ramos killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in 2022. (More Uvalde mass shooting stories.)