A Texas mother has been charged with a terrorism-related crime after being accused of purchasing ammunition and tactical gear for her 13-year-old son, who allegedly planned mass violence at his middle school, authorities said Thursday.
The boy, who was also charged with terrorism, arrived at the school this week wearing a mask and tactical gear but quickly left, according to San Antonio police. He was later detained off-campus.
In recent years, parents of children who committed school shootings across the United States have been prosecuted, despite the fact that no attack occurred. Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun control organization, said it had not seen a similar case in which a parent was charged despite the fact that no violence occurred.
According to San Antonio authorities, the boy’s mother had previously been contacted by police, her son’s school, and Child Protective Services due to concerns about her son.
“She appeared to be dismissive and unconcerned with her son’s behavior,” San Antonio police Chief William P. McManus said at a news conference. “Her behavior is not only dangerous, it’s abhorrent, especially as a parent.”
The mother was charged with aiding in the commission of terrorism. She is released on a $75,000 bond.
The Associated Press does not normally identify juveniles in criminal cases, and the mother is not being identified in order to protect the 13-year-old boy who is being held in juvenile detention.
The mother’s attorney, Joseph Appelt, said he couldn’t comment because he had just been appointed to the case on Thursday and was still learning about it.
According to Michael Wynne, a Houston-based criminal defense attorney who is not involved in the case, parents are increasingly being prosecuted for alleged involvement in school shootings or plans due to the tragic consequences of neglecting their responsibilities.
“What we’ve had in place so far clearly has not worked,” she said. “We have to do something else because the consequences are so tragic and so dire.”
Around October, Child Protective Services notified police of their concerns about the boy’s family. He was found drawing violent pictures at school in January and suspended in April after researching mass shootings on a school computer, according to McManus. He was able to return to campus earlier this month.
According to McManus, a family member witnessed the boy being shot on Sunday.
“He claimed his mother bought him the bullet and tactical gear,” McManus told me. “The next day, the family member found loaded magazines and an improvised explosive device and immediately contacted police.”
According to police, the mother provided her son with gun magazines and ammunition. McManus stated that “some very disturbing things” were discovered inside the mother’s home, including “Nazi swastikas and things like that.”
The mother was charged under a law passed by the Texas Legislature in 2023 that specified a specific criminal charge of terrorism and established a state registry for anyone convicted of a crime committed with the intent of terrorizing the public.
The bill’s author, Republican state Sen. Phil King, stated that it was intended to assist law enforcement in identifying suspects when investigating threats.
According to Nick Suplina, senior vice president of law and policy at Everytown for Gun Safety, parents and gun owners must take responsibility for preventing children from accessing deadly weapons without supervision.
“Parental culpability cases are not one-size-fits-all, but this one stands out for such utter disregard for warning signs that it begs for criminal charges to be brought, even if, thankfully, a major tragedy was avoided here,” he told reporters.
Jennifer and James Crumbley became the first parents in the United States to be held criminally responsible for a child-initiated mass school shooting last year in Michigan. They are serving 10-year sentences for involuntary manslaughter.
