A Texas mother allegedly bought her young son weapons and military gear in exchange for babysitting his siblings so he could fulfill his dream of becoming famous by committing “mass targeted violence” at his middle school.
Cops arrested Ashley Pardo, 33 — who sports purple hair and multiple face tattoos in her mug shot — Monday and charged her with aiding in commission of terrorism for helping the boy plan to conduct “mass targeted violence” on the Rhodes Middle School in San Antonio, according to an affidavit obtained by ABC News.
That same morning, the boy’s grandmother, with whom he stayed occasionally, found him “hitting a live bullet with a hammer,” the outlet reported, citing the court document.
When she asked him where he got it, the youngster — whose age has not been revealed — replied that his mom gave it to him and that she had “guns and ammunition at her house.”
The grandmother searched the boy’s room after he left and found a makeshift IED — a mortar-style firework wrapped in duct tape along with rifle — as well as magazines loaded with live rifle and pistol ammo, the affidavit said.
There was also a handwritten note that mentioned mass shootings along with their suspects and the number of victims, it added.
The name of the mass shooter who opened fire in a Christchurch, New Zealand, mosque in 2019, killing 51, was written on the device, along with Nazi references and “14 words,” a nod to white supremacist symbolism, according to the affidavit.
Before Pardo came to take her son to school, he turned to his grandmother, who was not identified, and told her that he was “going to be famous,” reports and the affidavit said.
Pardo’s son arrived at school that morning wearing a mask, camouflage jacket and tactical pants.
The boy was “detained off-campus and is being charged with terrorism,” Rhodes Middle School Principal Felismina Martinez wrote in a letter to parents.
“Please know we take all potential threats seriously and act immediately to protect everyone in our care,” she added. “We will always remain vigilant to ensure our learning and working environment is safe and secure.”
Law enforcement began investigating Pardo’s son in January after school officials became concerned about drawings he had done of the school, including a map marked “suicide route.”
He also had the school name written beside a rifle, according to the affidavit cited by the outlet. He told investigators that he had a “fascination with past mass shooters,” the document stated.
In April, he was suspended after looking up the Christchurch mosque shooting on a school-issued laptop, the affidavit added.
Later that day, he “attempted suicide with a straight razor causing significant injuries and requiring over 100 stitches,” the document stated.
He was sent to a different school until May 7 before returning to Rhodes Middle School last week, according to KHOU 11.
Pardo knew about her son’s behavior and had been in contact with local law enforcement, child protective services and school officials, according to the affidavit.
The mother allegedly brushed off his alarming behavior and defended his “violent expressions and drawings,” the affidavit said.
Pardo was released on a bond of $75,000 on Tuesday, according to jail records. Her next court appearance is July 17.
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