Nathan Cruz faces a felony charge of making a terroristic threat to the public and a misdemeanor charge of making a terroristic threat to a family member, a court document obtained by Inside Edition Digital shows.
Nathan Cruz, the teenage cousin to Uvalde school shooter Salvador Ramos, was arrested after cops in Texas say he was accused by a family member of threatening to shoot up a school and shoot his sister in the head, according to reports.
Nathan Cruz, 17, allegedly told his sister he planned “to do the same thing” as Ramos, who shot and killed 19 students and two staffers inside Robb Elementary School in 2022, according to an arrest warrant obtained by the San Antonio Express-News.
San Antonio Police were called to a home to perform a mental health check Monday, after a family member said Cruz planned “to do the same thing” as his cousin, the warrant said, according to the Express-News.
Police said the family member, later said to be Cruz’s mother by Express-News, told them that they live across the street from an elementary school and that Cruz had recently told another family member, “school is starting soon,” the Express-News reported.
The family reportedly lives across the street from Gardendale Early Learning Program.
"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 said, according to the Express-News.
Cruz's mother said she overheard her son on the phone trying to illegally obtain an AR-15 and that he also expressed that he wanted to shoot his sister in the head, according to San Antonio Express-News.
His sister believed it was a credible threat "due to the recent history of their family and the suspect's knowledge of his cousin's actions,” the affidavit said, according to the Express-News.
When he spoke with detectives, Cruz denied making any threats, the New York Post reported.
Cruz was taken into custody Monday afternoon and faces a felony charge of making a terroristic threat to the public and a misdemeanor charge of making a terroristic threat to a family member, an online court document obtained by Inside Edition Digital shows.
Cruz has not yet entered a plea. He is being held in Bexar County Jail. Bond has not been set. Public defender Jacqueline R. Lamerson, who is representing Cruz, had no comment when reached by Inside Edition Digital. A pre-trial hearing is set for Sept. 5.
