A woman in Texas was reportedly arrested this week after tactical gear and ammunition was allegedly found at her home. Authorities claim she purchased both for her 13-year-old son.
According to CBS News, law enforcement alleges that 33-year-old Ashley Pardo’s son was planning “mass targeted violence at a San Antonio school, citing an affidavit. She was arrested Monday, said the outlet.
Pardo agreed to purchase her son the items if he would babysit for his younger siblings, CBS’ report said. In the affidavit cited by the outlet, San Antonio police said the woman intentionally and knowingly aided her son’s plan for violence.
“The situation unfolded in January, when school staff at Jeremiah Rhodes Middle School in San Antonio found a map of the school which had been allegedly drawn by Pardo’s son, who was not named in the affidavit,” said CBS. It was reportedly labeled “suicide route,” with both the name of the school and a rifle drawn above it. Additionally, the boy allegedly told officials that he had a “fascination with past mass shooters, including their manifestos.”
Last month, he was reportedly suspended after using a school-issued computer to research the 2019 massacre on two mosques in Christchurch , New Zealand. Later that same day, the affidavit said the boy attempted to die by suicide. He then attended an alternative school through May 7 but returned to his original school on May 8.
Then, the boy’s grandmother contacted the police this Monday. She said the young teen revealed that Pardo has purchased the tactical gear – including magazines, a tactical vest, a tactical helmet and army clothing – and ammunition for him at a surplus store. Furthermore, the boy’s grandmother also found a homemade explosive device made from a mortar-style firework in his bedroom with the phrase “for Brenton Tarrant” on it, referring to “the Australian white supremacist who carried out the Christchurch shootings which killed 51 people,” CBS explained.
“The grandmother had found her grandson playing with a live bullet and a hammer the day prior, the documents read,” per the CBS report. Pardo expressed support for her son’s violent expressions and drawings and told his school that she was not concerned about his behavior, the affidavit said.
It also said that he went to school Monday in a mask, camouflage jacket and tactical pants and left shortly after. He told his grandmother upon leaving his home that he was “going to be famous.”
On Monday, before going to school, the boy told his grandmother that he was "going to be famous." He went to school "wearing a mask, camouflage jacket and tactical pants," but left shortly afterwards, the affidavit reads.
In a Facebook post, Rhodes Middle School Principal Felismina Martinez said that a student was detained off-campus for posts made online and charged with terrorism. CBS said that Pardo was released from custody Tuesday after posting $75,000 bail, citing Bexar County court records, and that the next hearing is scheduled for July 17. CNN said she was charged with commission of terrorism.
This isn’t the first time a parent has faced legal trouble for purchasing weapons for their underage child. In Michigan, Jennifer and James Crumbley were both convicted in connection with the 2021 mass shooting committed by their 15-year-old son Ethan in 2021.
“The ruling was historic – making them the first parents in the United States to be convicted in a mass shooting carried out by their child,” Audacy station WWJ Newsradio reported.
Last September, Audacy also reported on the case of Colin Gray, who was accused of allowing his 14-year-old son Colt Gray access to a weapon that the boy used to carry out a mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia. Four people were killed in the shooting.