Case dismissed against teenage cousin of Uvalde school shooter for allegedly threatening school shooting

Editor's Note: (6/27/24) Since this story was published in August 2023, the case against Nathan James Cruz was dismissed due to a missing witness, according to court records in Bexar County, Texas.

The teenage cousin of the gunman responsible for the 2022 Uvalde, Texas, school shooting was arrested Monday on suspicion of threatening to "do the same thing" to a school, according to court documents obtained by CNN.

Nathan James Cruz, 17, was arrested on a felony charge of making a terroristic threat to a public place and a misdemeanor charge of making a terroristic threat against a family member, according to Bexar County Central Magistrate records.

Cruz is the cousin of Salvador Ramos, the 18-year-old who fatally shot 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in May 2022, San Antonio police Sgt. Washington Moscoso told the New York Times on Monday.

CNN has sought comment from San Antonio police.

Ramos stormed into Robb Elementary last year armed with an assault rifle and tactical vest and opened fire on two adjoining classrooms - perpetrating one of the deadliest school shootings in modern US history. Law enforcement's response has been heavily scrutinized, as officers waited outside the classrooms for more than an hour before entering and fatally shooting Ramos.

Cruz's mother contacted police on Monday after her daughter reported that Cruz said he planned to "do the same thing" as his cousin, according to an affidavit obtained by CNN.