NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA: The mother of a six-year-old boy who reportedly shot his teacher in the classroom has revealed that her son felt "ignored" in the days leading up to the incident. Deja Taylor insisted her son had always "really liked" 25-year-old Abigail Zwerner, but said she "wasn't listening" to him in the week before the shooting. The first grade student opened fire on his teacher on January 6 at Richneck Elementary School, in Virginia, prompting Zwerner to bring a $40 million lawsuit against the school and district.
In her first interview since the incident, Taylor said her son was suspended the week before the shooting for "knocking the phone" out of his teacher's hand "on accident." In the lawsuit, however, Zwerner said the child was "violent" and that he "slammed the cellphone on the ground so hard that it cracked and shattered." The teacher also alleged the boy had a "history of random violence" and that he "attacked students and teachers alike."
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'She wasn't listening to me'
The embattled mother described her son as a "great" and "energetic kid." She said he doesn't talk about the incident but does speak about the days leading up to it. "He has ADHD. Some people have it mildly. He's off the wall. Doesn't sit still ever. He had started medication and he was meeting his goals academically," Taylor told Good Morning America. "He actually really liked her. I will say that week, he did come home and he was talking a lot about how he felt like he was being ignored. He would come home, and say 'Mom, I don't think she was listening to me. I didn't like that.' He ended up getting suspended the next day because he was in class, he was trying to tell her something and she asked him to go sit back down. He threw his arms up and said fine. When he put his arms up he knocked the phone out of her hand on accident. He got suspended for that."
James Ellenson, a lawyer representing the family, noted that the school enrolled the child knowing full well about his past behavioral conduct. "If they believed all of these behaviors to be true, then they should not have allowed him to advance to a higher level," he said. "They should've put him back into kindergarten, possibly even pre-K, but at the minimum to kindergarten." The attorney claimed that "no adult knows exactly how he got the gun," after Taylor said the firearm was purchased legally and was kept locked away.
Taylor was asked if she felt responsible for the incident. "Yes, of course," she responded. "That is my son so I am, as a parent, I would be willing to take responsibility for him because he can't take responsibility for himself." She added, "I truly would like to apologize and that out of the incident, she did get hurt. We were kind of forming a relationship with me having to be in the classroom. She is a really bright person."
School district ignored multiple warnings
The school apparently told the family they were no longer required to be present in the boy's classroom after a request they made in the fall in light of the boy's behavioral challenges. Deja Taylor has been charged with child neglect, a felony, and a misdemeanor count of recklessly leaving a firearm as to endanger a child. Her trial is reportedly set for August. In her lawsuit, Zwerner alleged that Newport News School District and Richneck Elementary officials ignored multiple warnings about the student's conduct, as well as concerns he may possess a firearm. On the other hand, lawyers representing the school board filed a motion to dismiss the suit, saying her injuries were covered under the state's worker's compensation law. According to them, she was approved to receive benefits but turned them down. Abby Zwerner was reportedly shot once, but the bullet is said to have pierced through her hand and into her chest, where some fragments are still lodged, according to the Daily Mail.
