Uvalde shooter’s cousin says he’d ‘do the same thing,’ tries to buy AR-15, reports say

The 17-year-old cousin of a gunman who killed 21 people at a Texas elementary school in 2022 was arrested after being accused of threats to execute his own mass shooting, reports say.

Nathan Cruz, the cousin of the Salvador Ramos, was reportedly arrested Monday, Aug. 7, in San Antonio. Ramos fatally shot 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde on May 24, 2022.

According to an arrest warrant obtained by WOAI, Cruz told his sister he would “do the same thing” as his cousin. His sister told their mother, the station reported.

His mother also heard her son on the phone trying to illegally purchase an AR-15, according to the San Antonio Express-News. An AR-15 is the same style of gun used in the Robb Elementary School shooting.

Cruz, who is also accused of threatening to shoot his sister, was arrested after his mother called police.

“God knows what could have happened,” Sgt. Washington Moscoso of the San Antonio Police Department told The New York Times. “Because she did the right thing, this individual has been arrested.”

Cruz lives across the street from a San Antonio elementary school, KSAT reported.

“Edgewood ISD has been made aware a teenager is now in police custody accused of making a threat against a school on the city’s west side,” the school district said in a statement obtained by WOAI. “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; if you see something, say something. “

Court records show Cruz faces a felony charge of making a terroristic threat to a public place and a misdemeanor charge of making a terroristic threat to a family member.