Who Is Nathan Cruz? Uvalde School Shooter's Cousin Arrested After Threats

The teenage cousin of the Uvalde school shooter, who murdered 19 children and two teachers, has been arrested after he allegedly plotted to "do the same thing."

Nathan Cruz, 17, is now in jail under investigation after his mother told police on Monday that she heard him on the phone trying to illegally purchase an AR-15, and he allegedly told his sister he planned to emulate their notorious relative, Salvador Ramos, according to the San Antonio Express-News. The claims were particularly alarming because Cruz's family lives close to an elementary school.

Ramos was 18 when he stormed the Robb Elementary School in the city of Uvalde, Texas, on May 24 last year. He massacred 21 people, before he was shot and killed by the authorities. The police were widely slammed for taking almost an hour and a half to take down the mass killer, who began shooting around 11:28 a.m. but wasn't stopped until 12.50 p.m. The atrocity rocked the nation and reignited the fierce debate on gun control and how to protect American schools.

According to Cruz's arrest affidavit, he appears to have admired his cousin's twisted actions, telling his sister that he planned to "do the same thing," according to the San Antonio Express-News.

"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 added.

The school was not named in the document and it's unclear why Cruz was on probation. Newsweek reached out by email to the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) in the early hours of Tuesday morning seeking further information and comment.

Cruz denied all the allegations when questioned by SAPD detectives, according to ABC 13. The station said that Cruz's mother alleged the boy had also threatened to shoot his sister in the head. Her age hasn't yet been revealed.

Officers were called out to Cruz's home on Monday, as part of a mental health call. He had been heard on the phone with an unidentified person where he "attempted to acquire an AR-15 through an illegal private sale," according to SAPD records, cited by local news channel KSAT. In a separate conversation with a family member, he noted: "School is starting soon."

Cruz was booked into the Bexar County Jail on 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, KSAT reported, citing jail records. The bond hadn't yet been set.

A statement posted on SAPD's Facebook page praised the Cruz family for their swift actions. "This case is an example of See Something, Say Something. Here a family member called police, resulting in detectives investigating the case which concluded in an arrest. With school starting, SAPD wants parents and faculty to know, that SAPD takes all reports of threats seriously and will investigate and take appropriate action."

Update 8/8/23 12:38 p.m. EDT: This article was updated to include Cruz's booking photo and a comment by the SAPD.