Law enforcement has denied a claim made by Republican Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales that the gunman who shot at least 21 people at a Texas elementary school Tuesday was arrested for threatening to shoot up a school four years ago.
“I found out late last night that the shooter was arrested four years ago for having this plan, for basically saying, ‘When I’m a senior 2022, I’m going to shoot up a school,'” Gonzales claimed on Fox & Friends early Friday.
Co-host Katie Pavlich noted during the interview that, “The local authorities have said that he doesn’t have an adult criminal record but that there may be a juvenile record. those are oftentimes sealed and not available to the public consumption.”
Rep. Gonzales (R-TX) claimed on Friday that the Texas shooter was arrested four years ago for threatening to shoot up a school.https://t.co/ks3CfaJ6n0
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) May 27, 2022
Fox News national correspondent Bill Melugin reported on Twitter that law enforcement said that Gonzales’ claims were “incorrect.”
Law enforcement did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller’s request for comment. (RELATED: Police Official Says Uvalde Shooter Did Not Confront Armed Guard, Appears To Have Entered Unlocked Door)
Fox News’s Brian Kilmeade pushed Gonzales on his claims, asking how the shooter allegedly made the threats to shoot up a school.
“Did he write this down? Did he post it?” Kilmeade asked.
“I don’t know the exact details, but the police arrested him, and they actually submitted a press release on that, stating, ‘Hey this is what is happening.'”
Gonzales posted the alleged press release on Twitter, saying that, “4 years ago Uvalde PD did their job and identified credible threats to a local school.”
“There are multiple agencies on the ground and I am getting updated information by the minute. We will continue to revise as we learn more,” he continued.
“On April 19, 2018, the Uvalde Police Department received information regarding two male juveniles, ages 13 & 14, planning to conduct a school shooting on their senior year (2022) at the Uvalde High School,” the alleged press release read.
The alleged press release noted that the two individuals were arrested on April 25, 2018, and were taken into custody at the Juvenile Detention Facility in Del Rio, Texas.
“It is now unclear if the shooter was one of the two kids detained,” Gonzales said, adding, “There is a clear need for mental health resources in our community.”
Gonzales’ office referred the Daily Caller to his tweet upon request for comment.