Recent details have emerged regarding the incident in January, when a six-year-old student in a Virginia classroom shot his teacher, Abby Zwerner.
According to recently unsealed police search warrants, the young boy had reportedly exclaimed, “I shot that (expletive) dead,” and disclosed, “I got my mom’s gun last night.”
The teacher, wounded in the hand and chest, survived the incident and has filed a $40 million lawsuit against Newport News Public Schools.
As per the warrants, the gunshot sound was heard by a passing reading specialist in Zwerner’s Richneck Elementary classroom in Newport News. Startled students left the room as Zwerner emerged, wounded and bleeding. The boy was located standing near his desk with the handgun on the floor.
He was apprehended by the specialist until the police arrived, while making self-incriminating statements.
Upon investigation, police discovered a loaded 9 mm handgun and a spent shell casing in the classroom.
Zwerner recounted that the young boy had aimed the gun at her, firing a single shot that struck her.
The child’s mother, Deja Taylor, is facing charges of felony child neglect and reckless storage of a firearm. Taylor claimed she securely stored the firearm, but her key to the gunlock was beneath her mattress.
The incident has prompted a lawsuit against the school system, alleging gross negligence and disregarding previous warnings about the child’s violent inclinations.
The school board contends that the boy was under evaluation for possible ADHD. Children with behavioral problems are kept in mainstream classrooms in accordance with state and federal laws.
The case is scheduled for a plea hearing next week.