A Texas mother is facing a terrorism charge after she allegedly purchased ammunition and tactical gear for her son.
Ashley Pardo, 33, allegedly made these purchases while knowing her son had been planning a “mass targeted violence” attack at Rhodes Middle School in Texas.
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Prior to that, Pardo “expressed to the school her support of [her son’s] violent expressions and drawings” and said that she “does not feel concerned for his behavior,” according to the affidavit.
Just a few hours after her son arrived at school in tactical gear on May 12, officers with the San Antonio Police Department arrested Pardo on a charge of aiding in commission of terrorism.
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When she inquired as to how he got the bullet, her grandson allegedly said that his mom had provided him with the live ammunition and had also taken him to a surplus store to buy tactical gear in exchange for babysitting his younger siblings, according to the affidavit.
She told law enforcement her grandson said he was “going to famous” as Pardo arrived to drive him to school that day.
The grandmother then decided to search his room where she allegedly found magazines “loaded with live rifle ammunition,” “pistol magazines … loaded with live ammunition,” an “improvised explosive device …using a mortar style firework wrapped in duct tape” and a note the boy left on the kitchen table which had the names of “persons who have committed targeted mass violence shootings” and the “number of victims from each shooting.”
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In a meeting to discuss these drawings, the boy allegedly spoke about his “fascination with past mass shooters” and their “manifestos,” per the affidavit.
The affidavit also alleges that just a few months later, in April, administrators made the decision to suspend the boy after it was discovered he had been using a “school-issued computer” to read about the 2019 mass shootings at two mosques in Christchurch. New Zealand.
That attack left 51 people dead and the shooter streamed the first of his two attacks on Facebook,
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In the wake of the suspension and “attempted suicide,” the boy was moved to a different school but returned to Rhodes Middle School on May 8, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit alleges that Pardo “has been aware of threats made by [her son]” but was “dismissive” in conversations with local law enforcement, Child Protective Services, and school officials.
Those same agencies had also communicated their “concerns of her child’s expression and desire to commit acts of mass violence,” the affidavit alleges.
It is not clear if the boy left school on his own accord or administrators had him removed, but the affidavit does state that prior to his return, the school “implemented a security plan and changed their security posture due to continuing concerns of mass targeted violence by [the boy].”
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Her son is also set to be charged, according to Rhodes Middle School Principal Felismina Martinez, who said in a letter to parents obtained by PEOPLE that he was “detained off-campus and is being charged with terrorism.”
Martinez continued, “Please know we take all potential threats seriously and act immediately to protect everyone in our care, We will always remain vigilant to ensure our learning and working environment is safe and secure.”
* Original Article:
https://people.com/ashley-pardo-mom-son-mass-shooting-texas-rhodes-middle-school-11735569
