Surveillance footage showed the 13-year-old walking into a San Antonio apartment complex’s storage room before flames sparked.
SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio teenager charged with terrorism who allegedly planned to carry out a mass shooting at Rhodes Middle School is just 13 years old, but he’s already establishing a criminal history.
The boy was also previously accused of setting an apartment complex on fire in 2023, when court documents say he was seen on surveillance footage walking into a northwest-side apartment complex’s storage facility around 11:30 p.m. on June 23 of that year.
Smoke was later seen billowing from the storage room as flames spread to a neighboring apartment buildings.
Witnesses told investigators they were familiar with the boy since he and his mother, Ashley Pardo, lived at the apartment complex.
The Fourth Court of Appeals is scheduled to have a hearing on the case on Thursday.
Fast forward to today, the boy is now charged with terrorism after a monthslong investigation involving San Antonio police and the FBI.
According to authorities, the teen had “a fascination with past mass shooters,” including the perpetrator of the 2019 mosque shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Police were tipped off by a family member who found an explosive, gun ammunition and tactical gear, among other items, according to records.
Pardo, who is accused of supplying her son with the equipment, “expressed to the school her support” of her son’s “violent expressions and drawings.”
She’s accused of helping to facilitate her son’s plans for acts of mass violence and was was arrested last week. Pardo posted bond a day after being booked and must adhere to numerous conditions, including have no contact with her son.
The teen is also scheduled to appear in court for his latest arrest on Thursday.