Texas mother accused of buying firearms for son who planned school shooting
She previously told the boys' school she was not worried about his behaviour – which included researching a mass shooting on a campus computer
A mother in Texas has been accused of buying firearms for her son, who had allegedly planned to carry out a mass school shooting.
Ashley Pardo (33) was arrested on Monday and charged with aiding in the commission of terrorism.
It came after her mother, the boy's grandmother, contacted police after she found him 'hitting a live bullet with a hammer.'
He told her he got the ammunition from his mother, who he said had "guns and ammunition at her house.'
Bexar County Sheriff's Office - Ashley Pardo
News in 90 Seconds - May 15th
It's alleged Pardo purchased ammunition and tactical gear for her son, who, according to police, 'demonstrated plans for a mass targeted violence.'
The school said that the boy arrived wearing a camouflage jacket, mask and tactical pants, but left shortly after.
A letter sent to parents from the school said that the boy was "detained off-campus and is being charged with terrorism."
The grandmother told cops that her daughter had purchased her son magazines, a tactical black vest "capable of concealing ballistic plates," a tactical black helmet and various pieces of army clothing.
Just before Pardo picked up her son to bring him to school, he told his grandmother he was 'going to be famous.'
When she searched his bedroom, she found magazines loaded with 'live rifle ammunition and pistol magazines loaded with live ammunition.'
She also discovered an "improvised explosive device", described as a mortar-style firework wrapped in tape. It also had the name of a mass shooter etched on it, along with multiple references to white supremacy.
His grandmother also found a handwritten dossier of previous mass shootings detailing the perpetrators and their number of victims.
According to an arrest affidavit, the boy intended to carry out his plans at a middle school in San Antonio.
In January, her son was first contacted by officials about drawings of his school
The images included a map of the school, labelled a 'suicide route' with the name of the school written next to a drawing of a rifle.
The boy told cops he had a "fascination with past mass shooters' and in April he researched the 2019 Christchurch shooting in New Zealand on a school computer.
He was suspended, and later in the day, inflicted serious injuries on himself, which required more than 100 stitches.
According to the affidavit, Pardo was aware of threats her son made and told the school she was not concerned about his behaviour, she also expressed support for his "violent expressions and drawings.'
Cops alleged that she was buying the gear and ammunition for her son in return for him babysitting his younger siblings.
She was released on $75,000 bail on Tuesday and will be back in court on July 17th for a hearing.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sunday World
an hour ago
- Sunday World
Irishwoman arrested for sex assault in Magaluf hotel tells judge she ‘got horny'
'I put my hand on his genitals...I thought he was interested in me too, that we were flirting' THE married Irishwoman arrested for sexually assaulting a 20-year-old man at a Magaluf hotel told a judge she 'got horny' and groped his genitals because she thought he was interested in her. The 37-year-old was arrested at the hotel on the Spanish island of Mallorca where she was understood to be staying with her husband after she allegedly sexually assaulted the young Swedish tourist in a sauna on Tuesday. She appeared before a judge this week and said she was flirting with the other tourist. "I got horny. I thought he was interested in me too, that we were flirting,' she told the court. The Irishwoman being brought to court News in 90 Seconds - 7th June Local newspaper Diario de Mallorca reported that the Irish woman admitted she put her hands on the man's genitals and he rejected her advances. 'I apologised right away. I was very embarrassed, I'm sorry," she said before being released on bail by an investigating judge still probing the alleged crime. The woman explained that last Tuesday she went to the sauna of the hotel where she was staying and encountered the Swedish tourist. 'We started talking about personal matters. I told him I was going to the Turkish bath, and two minutes later the guy came too," She said they carried on talking and he asked her who she was and if she had a partner. 'I sat next to him, we talked a little more, and I got horny. I put my hand on his genitals. I thought he was interested in me too, that we were flirting.' She said the young tourist immediately told her: 'No, no, no.' She said she then removed her hands from his genitals and apologised. 'I was very embarrassed.' She told the court she wanted to apologise. "I regret it, and I apologise to the guy," she said. It is understood the victim has expressed intentions to continue with legal proceedings against the Irish woman. After the incident he alerted hotel staff who contacted local police and the Guardia Civil who arrived at the hotel to arrest the Irish woman. Reports say the woman initially denied doing anything when police arrived but later admitted her actions when she appeared in court.
Sunday World
an hour ago
- Sunday World
Man with 145 convictions held knife to woman's throat during cocaine-fuelled burglary
Defendant with 145 previous convictions stated drugs 'blew the socks off me' This was after the man crashed a stolen car close to where she lived in Gyles Quay, a popular North Louth beach which was packed with cars on a sunny Sunday afternoon last year. James McDonagh (38), Dominic Street, Newry, Co. Down, appeared before Dundalk Circuit Court via video link for a sentence hearing. He has been in custody since the offending occurred. He pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary, unlawfully using a car without consent, dangerous driving and driving without insurance, at Gyles Quay on June 23, 2024. Other charges including false imprisonment of a female are being taken into consideration. He told Gardaí who arrested him at the scene that he had taken too much cocaine. 'It blew the socks off me'. The defendant, one of 13 children, moved to Newry from Dundalk, and has 145 previous convictions on both sides of the border. Judge Dara Hayes adjourned the matter to June 19 and said that there will be a 'significant sentence'. Gardaí had been alerted by the PSNI about a stolen BMW which had crossed the border. A car was spotted acting suspiciously around Bellurgan, north of Dundalk, but despite extensive searches throughout the early hours of the morning it could not to be located. Around 2pm this car was seen on the main Carlingford Road. It turned for Gyles Quay and went into a car park. Gyles Quay basking in glorious sunshine on a day similar to the incident. Photo: Ken Finegan/ News in 90 Seconds - 7th June Det Gda Eimear Gallagher in plain clothes and a colleague wearing full uniform approached the BMW. Its driver's door was open. A man was in the front seat. He didn't engage with the officers and reached down. Det Gda Gallagher testified that she feared he had a weapon. The driver turned on the ignition. She asked him to get out. By this stage the other guard was standing in front of the car. The engine was being revved and Det Gda Gallagher told her colleague to move. At that point Mr McDonagh took off at such speed that the car was 'bouncing' across the potholed surface as he left the car park. The two Gardaí raced to their vehicle and once on the move activated the blue lights and siren to try to get the BMW to stop and to warn pedestrians. One man had to lift a buggy containing a child out of the way to avoid being hit by the defendant as he sped past. Read more The car struck a parked van and as it continued back towards the main road it mounted a footpath on which there were a lot of pedestrians before colliding with a wall and coming to a stop. The driver got out and ran. He had a large silver knife in his right hand and a hammer in the other. He scaled a fence and ran along the beach towards Ferguson's caravan park. Meanwhile, a woman living in a bungalow at the park was sitting on a sofa. It was so warm she had the back doors open. Suddenly, around 3pm, a man came through the door with what she described as a butcher's knife. He had something else in his other hand but she was only focused on the knife. He had blood on his face. He screamed for her car keys and demanded money. The woman's young son came out of his room and was screaming. The woman was in such fear that she was willing to co-operate to protect her son. She couldn't find the keys. McDonagh held the knife to her throat until she found them. While this was going on armed Gardaí had arrived outside. The victim saw them. The man ran and was chased through the house by the guards and out the back door. Det Gda Gallagher told the mother and child to stay inside and not come out until Gardaí returned. Outside, one of the other officers pulled his gun and the man lay down on grass. He was arrested there by Det Gda Gallagher at 3.04pm, some 500m from the house. The man said: 'I think I took too much cocaine. It blew the socks off me. I took the car. I didn't know it was wanted. I was driving nice and slow. I was washing up 'Coke' to do 'Crack'. 'I didn't know they were guards. I put the boot down and drove off. I panicked and I crashed.' Later, he added: 'Jesus, I didn't do a burglary, did I? Only slagging.' McDonagh said that he wasn't going to use the knife. "I was only scaring her. I saw youse outside and I ran. You got me.' He denied putting a knife to the woman's throat. "She walked to me. She must have wanted a claim or something.' "I could get big time. I'm sorry for what I said and what I did.' He signed the memos of interview. The court heard of 145 previous convictions – 85 in the Republic of Ireland and sixty in the North. These included unauthorised taking of vehicles, theft, possession of a knife, robbery, trespass, assault, burglary, assaulting police and drugs possession. Gda Laura O'Connor read out out a harrowing Victim Impact Statement which detailed how the woman and her family had moved to Ireland hoping for a safe and better quality of life. Her husband lost his life tragically here. She spoke of her son screaming for his life and the ongoing consequences of the attack. She felt completely unsafe in her own home. There were flashbacks of the knife against her throat. Her son's terrifying screams haunted her. She thanked the Gardaí. It was stated in a probation report that James McDonagh accepted full responsibility. He had taken a combination of drugs with whiskey when he stole the vehicle in Northern Ireland to sell across the border to buy cocaine. He identified as a member of the Travelling community, the second youngest of 13 children. His parents moved to Newry and he intends to live with his brother in Dundalk. Single, and the father of two adult children, he had never worked and was reliant on social welfare. The defendant was on methadone and continued to use drugs in custody. He was assessed at high risk of reoffending. Judge Hayes said that he was grateful to the victim for coming to court. It was of much assistance to him. 'It was a horrifying experience for you and your son. I'm dreadfully sorry. It's unimaginable how awful it must have been for you and your son.' The judge said these were extremely serious offences. He allowed time for a drugs counsellor's report to be prepared. Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme
Sunday World
an hour ago
- Sunday World
Garda launch probe into Mike Gaine murder as chief suspect makes official complaint
This week, Michael Kelley (56) made an official complaint to Fiosrú about his treatment by officers in the investigation, led by Killarney gardaí. Michael Kelley (right) is a suspect in the murder of Mike Gaine (left), but he has complained to Fiosrú about garda treatment Two probes have been launched into the garda investigation of the murder of Kerry farmer Mike Gaine. The Sunday World can reveal that last night the chief suspect for Mr Gaine's murder has made a formal complaint about his treatment by gardaí. American national Michael Kelley has lodged a complaint with Fiosrú, the Office of the Police Ombudsman, formerly known as the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (Gsoc). This is the agency that deals with complaints about the conduct of gardaí from members of the public. Mr Kelley, a Tralee-based former soldier, has been arrested as a murder suspect, but denies any involvement. He was released without charge. This week, Mr Kelley (56) made an official complaint to Fiosrú about his treatment by officers in the investigation, led by Killarney gardaí. When contacted by the Sunday World, a spokeswoman for the ombudsman said she could not comment on the matter. Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan TD and Garda Commissioner Drew Harris. This revelation came just hours after Garda Commissioner Drew Harris confirmed the investigation into the murder of Mr Gaine is under 'peer review'. He said: 'We're subjecting that to a peer review because I do think there is learning for us around those who would commit crime and then attempt to dispose of the body, and often are successful in disposing of the body.' It is not known what exactly forms the basis for the complaint made to the watchdog by Mr Kelley. However, in previous media interviews, Mr Kelley has been critical of the investigation that led to his arrest. 'The only person who can make a legitimate complaint to Fiosrú in matters such as these is the subject of the garda investigation or a witness to what happened,' a source said. 'As we all know, there were no witnesses to the murder of Michael Gaine,' they added. Mr Kelley, who has denied any involvement in Mr Gaine's murder, was arrested on May 18. That was just over 36 hours after Mr Gaine's body parts were discovered in slurry that was being spread on farmland. He was later released without charge. Gardaí believe Mr Gaine was dismembered after he was killed, and that the body parts were dumped in a 50,000-gallon slurry tank on the property. Mike Gaine (left) and Michael Kelley (right) News in 90 Seconds - 7th June As part of the investigation, a full background check is being carried out on Mr Kelley, who had been living on Mr Gaine's farm and working as a farmhand for a number of years. Speaking yesterday in Templemore, Co Tipperary, the Garda Commissioner said there were lessons to be learnt from homicides that begin as a missing person case. He said gardaí have seen a real pattern around this in recent years, and they want to be sure that they have an investigative mindset in relation to a crime having been committed around a missing person report. Mr Harris said gardaí have reviewed all missing persons reports and found no other homicide cases. He also revealed that the investigation into the murder of Tina Satchwell will also be reviewed. Ms Satchwell's husband Richard was sentenced to life in prison earlier this week for her murder, after he buried her body under the stairs of their home in Youghal, Co Cork. It is understood the review of the Satchwell case will take the form of a thematic review. As part of the review, specific aspects of the original investigation will be examined to identify any problems or areas of the inquiry where lessons can be learnt, and improvements made to similar investigations in the future. Mr Harris said that 'in hindsight', it may have been 'very obvious' where Ms Satchwell's remains were. He said the 2017 search for Ms Satchwell did 'harvest' a 'huge' amount of information, which was useful in the re-examination of the case. Mr Harris said: 'All of those were crucial. So I would say the initial investigation was hamstrung because of the lack of information in comparison to the later re-examination of this matter. 'There's far more information to hand which gave us real grounds then for actual suspicion and then inquiries that we could lead. 'When you look at hindsight, some of these things can seem very obvious, but in the moment, what was known, what was being said in terms of sighting, what was being said in terms of the victim by her husband – one has to recognise the victimology that was being applied here. 'His suppression of her, the coercive control that obviously she was subject to for many years, her isolation in that particular community, that meant there was very few other people we could speak to [about] what Tina Satchwell's life was like. 'It was a complex investigation. Yes, the house was searched in 2017, forensic scientists also accompanied that search, it was subject to thorough examination and looked for blood splatter, none was found.' Mr Harris said a report would be compiled and given to Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan on the investigation into Ms Satchwell's disappearance.
