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SAPD: Cousin of Uvalde mass shooter accused of threatening to shoot up school, family member

Nathan Cruz, 17, attempted to acquire AR-15 as recently as Monday morning, family told police

SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio police on Monday arrested a teenager accused of threatening to shoot up an area school and a family member, an arrest warrant obtained by KSAT Investigates shows.

The suspect, 17-year-old Nathan Cruz, is the cousin of the Uvalde mass shooter, the warrant states.

San Antonio police were first dispatched to a mental health call in progress Monday, after the caller said Cruz planned “to do the same thing” as his cousin, who carried out a mass shooting at Uvalde’s Robb Elementary School in May 2022 that killed 19 students and two teachers.

The caller, a member of Cruz’s family, told police they live across the street from an elementary school and that Cruz had recently told another family member “school is starting soon,” according to the warrant.

The warrant does not state which school the family lives near.

The family member also told police she overheard a phone conversation between Cruz and an unidentified person Monday morning during which Cruz “attempted to acquire an AR-15 through an illegal private sale,” according to the warrant.

Cruz was booked into the Bexar County Jail on Monday afternoon.

He 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, jail records show.

The warrant states that Cruz’s family told police he is on probation. KSAT could find no previous criminal record for Cruz, meaning past charges may have been filed against him when he was a minor.

Bond had not been set on either charge as of late Monday afternoon.

Also on KSAT.com:


About the Author
Dillon Collier headshot

Emmy-award winning reporter Dillon Collier joined KSAT Investigates in September 2016. Dillon's investigative stories air weeknights on the Nightbeat and on the Six O'Clock News. Dillon is a two-time Houston Press Club Journalist of the Year and a Texas Associated Press Broadcasters Reporter of the Year.

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