NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA: Court records released have shed light on unsettling details surrounding a shocking incident involving a six-year-old student who shot his teacher at Richneck Elementary School. The child is accused of opening fire on his first-grade teacher, Abby Zwerner, in a classroom on January 6. Although Zwerner survived gunshot wounds to her hand and chest, the incident has sparked legal action and raised concerning questions.
In April, Zwerner filed a $40M lawsuit against the Newport News School Board and several former administrators. The suit alleges that they neglected their duty to safeguard her from the boy, despite prior warnings that he had access to a firearm within the school premises.
Did the six-year-old intentionally shoot Abby Zwerner?
On January 6, police arrived at Richneck Elementary School shortly after 2 pm to find the boy in Zwerner's classroom, a gun discarded on the floor beside him. A reading specialist, who restrained the boy, told the police that he reportedly confessed to obtaining his mother's gun the previous night and shooting Zwerner. He allegedly stated, "I shot the b***h dead," according to WAVY.
The reading specialist's account was corroborated by two students who claimed the boy had a gun in his book bag. Further accounts revealed that efforts were made to locate the firearm earlier. The reading specialist and a school administrator conducted a search of the boy's book bag during recess, but the gun was not discovered at the time.
The child's mother, Deja Taylor, now faces charges related to the incident. She is scheduled to enter a guilty plea on August 15 for felony child neglect and a misdemeanor count for recklessly leaving a loaded firearm within the reach of a child. However, Taylor's legal troubles extend beyond this incident, as she previously pleaded guilty to falsifying information on a federal form when purchasing the firearm used in the shooting.
'The child, he’s obviously got a lot of issues'
Taylor informed the police that she believed the gun was secured in her purse with a trigger lock, placed atop her bedroom dresser on the morning of the incident. The key for the lock, she reportedly claimed, was concealed under her mattress. Moreover, Zwerner's lawsuit also implicates Richneck's former Assistant Principal, Dr Ebony Parker. The lawsuit alleged that Parker had been informed on three separate occasions by teachers and employees about the child's access to a firearm, but she reportedly failed to take appropriate action.
Detectives also interviewed Zwerner, who reportedly said that she had rearranged her class into reading groups. It was then that the boy reportedly pulled out a gun from his jacket pocket, pointing it at her. Zwerner then asked him, "What are you doing with that?" In response, the child fired a single shot that struck her.
Zwerner told detectives that she had reported numerous disciplinary incidents involving the same child to school administrators. Some of these incidents allegedly involved acts of violence or threats. Additional interviews with those connected to the case further underscored the complexities surrounding the young student.
A former kindergarten teacher, who is retired, described an incident where the child allegedly "placed both arms around her neck, pulling down, choking her to the point she could not breathe.” Another teacher had to intervene and forcefully to remove him from the classroom.
James Ellenson, Taylor's legal representative, expressed concern for the child's well-being, stating, "The child, he’s obviously got a lot of issues, and he’s in therapy. We’re all pulling for his continued improvement."
