No fight or warning before six-year-old boy shot teacher, say Virginia police
The shooting of a Virginia teacher by a six-year-old boy in her classroom last week happened without warning, and with no fight or physical struggle, authorities have said.
“What we know today is that she was providing instruction. He displayed a firearm, he pointed it and he fired one round,” said the Newport News police chief, Steve Drew.
Drew offered the first detailed description of a shooting that shocked the city and was notable even in a country like the US where incidents of gun violence are common. Drew had previously said the shooting was not accidental and had declined to elaborate.
Drew said he wanted to clarify remarks he made shortly after the incident on Friday, when he said there was an “altercation” before the shooting. He said it was more like an “interaction” between the boy and his first-grade teacher at Richneck elementary school, 25year-old Abby Zwerner.
Drew reiterated that the shooting was “intentional” and “not accidental”.
Drew also revealed that the 9mm handgun used by the boy was bought legally by his mother and kept in the family’s home. He said the boy brought it to school in his backpack the day of the shooting.
Zwerner put up her hand in a defensive position when the gun fired, and the bullet went through her hand and into her upper chest, Drew said. Although her injuries were initially considered life-threatening, she has improved and is in hospital in a stable condition.
Drew hailed Zwerner as a hero for quickly hustling her students out of the classroom after she was shot. He said surveillance video shows she was the last person to leave her classroom.
“She made a right turn and started down the hallway, and then she stopped … She turned around and make sure every one of those students was safe,” Drew said.
Drew said a school employee rushed into the classroom and physically restrained the boy after hearing the gunshot. He said the boy became “a little combative” and struck the employee. Police officers arrived and escorted him out of the building and into a police car.
The boy has been held at a medical facility since an emergency custody order and temporary detention order were issued on Friday, Drew said. He said it would be up to a judge to determine the next steps for the boy. He also said the boy’s mother had been interviewed by police, but it is unclear whether she could face any charges.
A friend of Zwerner told a crowd gathered at a vigil on Monday night that the first-grade teacher had shown “dedication and love for what she does day in and day out”.
“Abby is a warrior and she demonstrates mental and physical strength every day,” said Rosalie List, a secondgrade teacher at Richneck. “I’m so proud of her.”
Lauren Palladini, Richneck’s school counsellor, told the crowd that Zwerner was “sweet. She’s thoughtful. She’s caring. And she’s been one of the most amazing teachers that I’ve been blessed to interact with.”
Gun owners can be prosecuted under a Virginia law that prohibits anyone from recklessly leaving a loaded, unsecured gun in a manner that endangers the life or limb of children under 14. A violation of that law is a misdemeanour, punishable by a maximum jail sentence of one year and a maximum fine of $2,500 (£2,055).
Virginia does not have a law that requires unattended guns to be stored in a particular way or a law that requires gun owners to affirmatively lock their weapons.