A 17-year-old teenager, who is the cousin of the Uvalde school shooter, was apprehended on Monday after allegedly making threats to commit a school shooting. The arrest came following a mental health call made by the suspect’s mother, who expressed concern about her son’s statements. The mother claimed that her son had threatened to “do the same thing” as his cousin, who carried out a devastating mass shooting at an elementary school. The suspect’s sister also reported that he had threatened to shoot her and “shoot the school.”
According to the arrest affidavits filed in a Bexar County court and signed by a judge, the suspect’s mother overheard a conversation where her son was attempting to acquire an AR-15 through an illegal private sale. The identity of the person involved in the alleged conversation remains unknown. The suspect’s sister, who provided a recorded statement at the police headquarters, revealed that her brother had made the threats while they were in a car together. She mentioned that he specifically mentioned that “school is starting soon.”
Police discovered that the suspect resides across the street from an elementary school. In response to the reported threats, the San Antonio Police Department promptly arrested the 17-year-old on charges of making terroristic threats. The charges include a felony for making a terroristic threat to the public and a misdemeanor for making a terroristic threat to a family member, as stated in the Bexar County magistrate record. The suspect, however, denies making any threats, according to the affidavits.
It remains unclear whether the suspect has legal representation, as his case is currently listed as pending with the Bexar County magistrate. The teenager is related to the 18-year-old gunman who carried out the tragic shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas in May of 2022. The incident resulted in the loss of 19 children and two adults, with the gunman being killed by authorities. Regrettably, the Uvalde shooting stands as the second-deadliest shooting in U.S. history at an elementary, middle, or high school.