A woman in Texas has been charged with aiding in the commission of terrorism after she purchased guns and tactical gear for her 13-year-old son who had repeatedly expressed interest in committing a school shooting, according to the San Antonio police and court documents.
Ashley Pardo, 33, who was arrested on Monday, was “not concerned” with her son’s behavior, the police said, and purchased the weapons for the boy as a reward for babysitting his younger siblings.
On Monday, the boy went to Jeremiah Rhodes Middle School in San Antonio after telling his grandmother that he was “going to be famous,” according to an arrest affidavit. He left after briefly appearing at the school. The boy was later detained off campus, according to a letter to families from the school’s principal, Felismina Martinez, that was posted on Facebook.
The boy faces terrorism and weapons charges, the police said.
The San Antonio police chief, William McManus, said the charges against the boy and his mother were based on “the simple fact that the young man was apparently planning some act of violence based on the things that we found out he was doing, and the mother was assisting him.”
He said at a news conference on Thursday that Ms. Pardo appeared to be “unconcerned” with her son’s behavior. It was the first time the authorities have charged someone in Bexar County, where San Antonio is the county seat, with terrorism since the charge was created under a 2023 state law, Chief McManus said.
A lawyer for Ms. Pardo could not be reached on Thursday.
The boy, who was not named in court documents, began exhibiting concerning behavior in January, according to the affidavit. School officials found a hand-drawn map of the school, labeled a “suicide route,” with a rifle illustrated on the paper, the documents say, and the child told officials that he was fascinated with past mass shooters.
In April, the boy was suspended after using a school-issued computer to research the mass shooting at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, that killed more than 50 people in 2019, according to the affidavit. The gunman in New Zealand had expressed extreme far-right and white supremacist views.
On the day he was suspended, the boy attempted to take his own life with a straight razor, significantly injuring himself and requiring dozens of stitches, the affidavit said. After he was briefly placed in an alternative school, he returned early this month to Jeremiah Rhodes Middle School, according to the affidavit.
Not long after, the boy’s grandmother contacted the police after he told her that his mother, Ms. Pardo, had taken him to a surplus store and bought him guns, ammunition and tactical gear. The grandmother had also discovered a homemade explosive device in the boy’s room as well as gun magazines loaded with ammunition, according to the affidavit.
According to police documents, the explosive device had the name of the gunman who committed the Christchurch shooting written on it, in addition to white supremacist symbols and references.
On Monday, the boy arrived briefly at school wearing a mask, tactical pants and a camouflage jacket, the affidavit said.
According to Ms. Pardo’s arrest documents, she had been informed of her son’s drawings and violent ideations, but was “dismissive” with law enforcement, child protective services and school officials.
Ms. Pardo was in custody on Thursday morning ahead of her release on $75,000 bond. She is due back in court in San Antonio on July 17.
Ali Watkins covers international news and is based in London.
Christine Hauser is a Times reporter who writes breaking news stories, features and explainers.
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