WHITE Abby Zwerner hailed a hero after being shot by 6 y.o. black student; bond be revoked - failed drug tests; UPDATE: 21 mos PRISON SENTENCE

The Bobster

Senior News Editor since 2004

Abby Zwerner hailed a hero after being shot by 6-year-old student​



By
Rich Calder


January 7, 2023 1:42pm
Updated










A critically injured first-grade teacher intentionally shot by a 6-year-old student in the classroom is being hailed as a hero for warning other kids to flee to safety amidst the gunfire.
Abby Zwerner, 25, was identified by FOX3 Now News as the teacher who was shot in the chest around 2 pm Friday at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Va.
Zwerner, of nearby Williamsburg, Va., was rushed to Riverside Regional Medical Center with life-threatening injuries, where she remains in critical condition.
Abby Zwerner, 25, of Williamsburg, Virginia, was shot intentionally by a student Friday.Abby Zwerner, 25, of Williamsburg, Virginia, was shot intentionally by a student Friday.Abby Zwerner/Facebook
There were no other reported injuries.
Sebastian Gonzalez-Hernandez, whose own 6-year-old was also in the classroom during the shooting, praised Zwerner for being so selfless.
“She screamed at her kids to run away” immediately after being struck by a single bullet, he told FOX3.
Abby Zwerner, 25, of Williamsburg, Virginia, was shot intentionally by a student Friday.Zwerner was shot at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia.Abby Zwerner/Facebook
Gonzalez-Hernandez said his son didn’t see what happened, but when the boy heard the gunshot, he turned around and saw Zwerner on the floor.
“She is a great teacher who works hard. My son loves her very much, and we’re all very sad about what happened,” the father said. “We’re all thinking about her and hoping she gets better soon.
He later said on Facebook, “Praying for my son’s 1st grade teacher that got shot by a 6 year old at Richneck Elementary today! She is the best teacher and I really hope she pulls through this.”
The shooting took place Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia.Authorities said it wasn’t immediately clear what sparked the argument.Jay Paul/Getty Images Students and police gather outside of Richneck Elementary School after the incident.Students and police gather outside of Richneck Elementary School after the incident.The Virginian-Pilot via AP
The young student who allegedly fired the gun was taken into custody.
Another 6-year-old student who witnessed the shooting told The Daily Press that her classmate shot their teacher “on purpose” and that the instructor fell to her knees after being stuck.
Police Chief Steve Drew told reporters at a news conference Friday that “this was not an accidental shooting. It was in a classroom, and there was a fight.”
Zwerner was shot in the chest and remains in critical condition.Zwerner was shot in the chest and remains in critical condition.Abby Zwerner/Facebook
Authorities said it wasn’t immediately clear what sparked the argument or how the child managed to get ahold of the weapon.
A grandmother of one of Zwerner’s students said another pupil brought “bright gold bullets” to school last week, but it’s unclear if its same youth in custody, FOX3 reported.
Messages left with Zwerner’s family and the school Saturday were not immediately returned.
The young student who allegedly fired the gun was taken into custody.The young student who shot Zwerner was taken into custody.The Virginian-Pilot via AP
However, Newport News Schools Superintendent George Parker said Friday that its “students got a lesson in gun violence and what guns can do disrupt to not only an educational environment but also a family, a community.”
 
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Richneck Elementary School


Richneck Elementary School serves 627 students in grades Prekindergarten-5.

Richneck Elementary School placed in the bottom 50% of all schools in Virginia for overall test scores (math proficiency is bottom 50%, and reading proficiency is bottom 50%) for the 2018-19 school year.

Minority enrollment is 74% of the student body (majority Black), which is higher than the Virginia state average of 54% (majority Black).

45% of Richneck Elementary School students are Black, 26% of students are White, 15% of students are Hispanic, 11% of students are Two or more races, 2% of students are Asian, and 1% of students are Hawaiian.
 
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Virginia teacher Abby Zwerner was shot by 6-year-old as she tried to confiscate gun​



By
Yaron Steinbuch


January 9, 2023 7:15am
Updated







The first-grade teacher in Virginia who was shot by her 6-year-old student was about to confiscate the gun when the child pulled the trigger.
“She was going to confiscate it — and that’s when he shot,” Brittaney Gregory, whose son was in the class, told the Washington Post.
Abby Zwerner, 25, was shot about 2 p.m. Friday at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Va. She was listed in serious but stable condition at Riverside Regional Medical Center, the paper reported.
The teacher has been hailed as a hero for warning the other kids to flee when the shooting erupted.
The 6-year-old has been taken into custody after the shocking incident, which Police Chief Steve Drew said resulted from a fight and was “not an accidental shooting.”
It was unclear what sparked the fight or how the boy managed to get a hold of the weapon.
Virginia teacher Abby Zwerner, 25,Abby Zwerner, 25, of Williamsburg, Virginia, was shot intentionally by a student Friday. Virginia teacher Abby Zwerner, 25,“She was going to confiscate (the gun) — and that’s when he shot,” said Brittaney Gregory, whose son was in the class, referring to teacher Abby Zwerner, above.
Gregory said that when the teacher told the children to run, they fled to another teacher’s classroom and remained under lockdown.
The mom described Zwerner as her son’s favorite teacher, who would leave notes in his backpack.
“I hope you had a great day,” Gregory said the teacher wrote in one. “I want you to know your smile is contagious,” another said, according to the parent.
Brittaney GregoryBrittaney Gregory’s son is a student in Zwerner’s class.Facebook / Brittaney Gregory
Gregory said her son is “still in shock” and has nightmares from the shooting.
“He normally sleeps in his own room but the night of the shooting he came into my room. He was talking in his sleep, saying we got to get out of here,” she told the paper, adding that she plans to take her son to a therapist.
Gregory said she found out about the shooting when a neighbor asked her if she saw a report on TV.
“What school?” she said she asked. “‘Your son’s school. They said it was the first grade,’” the neighbor told her, she said.
Brittaney Gregory's son with graduation cap on, blurred faceGregory says Zwerner is her son’s favorite teacher.Facebook / Brittaney Gregory
“My heart instantly dropped,” Gregory said.
When she arrived at the scene, police said no kids had been hurt.
“Not physically, but this is going to scar him mentally,” she said she thought.
When she was finally reunited with her son, she said “you could tell on his face what he was going through. He was a deer in the headlights.”
 A parent and a student after the shootingAuthorities said it wasn’t immediately clear what sparked the argument.AP
Meanwhile, another student described the frantic moments after the shooting.
“We were doing math … an announcer came on she was like, ‘Lockdown, I repeat lockdown,’” fifth-grader Novah Jones, who was in another classroom, told CNN.
“I was scared … it was like my first lockdown and I didn’t know what to do, so I just hid under my desk like everybody was,” she said during an interview that included her mother, Kasheba Jones.
As police raced to the scene, Novah informed her mother about the lockdown.
Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Va. The young student who shot Zwerner was taken into custody.ABC4
“I texted her, ‘Mom, help,’” she said.

“I couldn’t breathe I was in shock,” her mother, Kasheba told CNN.
Novah said she had “flashbacks” found it difficult to sleep that night because she worried that the boy “still had the gun and he was going to come to my house.”

Andrew Block, an associate professor at the University of Virginia School of Law, said it is unlikely the shooter could be prosecuted even though there is no minimum age for being charged with a crime in Virginia.
“As a practical matter, it would be next to impossible to prosecute a 6-year-old, no matter how serious,” Block, the former director of the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice, told the Washington Post.
He cited the “infancy defense,” in which people under age 7 do not have the ability or mental state to form the intent to commit a crime.

“The bigger barrier, presuming the prosecution could overcome that, is all defendants have to be competent to stand trial,” Block told the outlet.



“That means you have to understand the nature of legal proceedings against you and assist in your own defense. There’s no way a 6-year-old would meet that criteria,” he added.


But Block noted that an adult could face misdemeanor charges if the pistol came from a home where the child lives because under state law, guns must be secured from kids under 14.
 

Virginia boy who shot teacher Abigail Zwerner told another he wanted to set her on fire: report​



By
Matthew Sedacca


January 21, 2023 1:55pm
Updated










A 6-year-old who shot his teacher allegedly told another educator he wanted to light her on fire and watch her die, according to a report.
Last month, the troubled boy nearly made good on his apparent murderous impulses, shooting first grader teacher Abigail Zwerner at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News., Va., officials have said. Zwerner survived.
Zwerner and other Richneck teachers said they had shared their fears about the child’s grave behavior with administrators, only to have their concerns downplayed or ignored, The Washington Post reported.
The disturbing incident took place at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, VA on Jan. 6.The disturbing incident took place at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, VA on Jan. 6.AP
Zwerner had asked for support with the boy, and expressed concerns about his behavior, teachers wrote in online messages to Newport News Superintendent George Parker III.
“She had asked for help,” one school staff member wrote in the chat.
“Several times,” another added.
The child, who was known to throw furniture and other objects in the classroom, once wrote a note to a teacher in which he told her hated her, wanted to set her on fire to kill her, the teachers union told The Washington Post. When she brought the disturbing letter to school administrators, they told her to drop it, according to the teacher.
Abigail Zwerner was reportedly finally released from the hospital this week.Abigail Zwerner was reportedly finally released from the hospital this week.
It’s unclear when the threat was made, the outlet noted.
Another time, the student managed to block a teacher and other students from leaving their classroom by barricading the doors. They were only freed after the teacher banged on the door, and a colleague across the hall managed to get it open.
Zwerner, 25, was shot in the chest Jan. 6 while teaching her first-grade class. She sent her students out of the classroom before collapsing and being rushed to the hospital.
Messages of support for teacher Abby Zwerner on the doors of Richneck Elementary.Messages of support for teacher Abby Zwerner on the doors of Richneck Elementary.AP
Authorities said that there was no warning or struggle before the boy aimed the 9mm Taurus handgun and opened fire at his teacher.
Parker revealed that at least one school official had been alerted the boy may have brought a weapon to school hours before the shooting, but none was found after searching his backpack.
The shooting is being investigated as “intentional,” Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew has said.
Willow Crawford, age 7, holds sign she made for teacher Abby Zwerner during a vigil on Jan. 9.Willow Crawford, age 7, holds sign she made for teacher Abby Zwerner during a vigil on Jan. 9.Mike Caudill New York Post
The child’s parents said Thursday in their first public statement since the shooting that the firearm had been “secured” in their home.



The boy “suffers from an acute disability” and his mother or father accompanied him to class every day, they added, revealing the week of the shooting “was the first week when we were not in class with him.”


“We will regret our absence on this day for the rest of our lives,” the added.
 

Assistant principal resigns at Virginia school where 6-year-old shot teacher Abigail Zwerner​



By
Ben Kesslen


January 25, 2023 4:39pm
Updated








The Assistant Principal at the Virginia school where a 6-year-old shot his teacher has resigned as allegations surface the administration failed to respond when warned about the armed student three times on the day of the shooting, The Post has learned.
Dr. Ebony Parker, the assistant principal at Richneck Elementary in Newport News, resigned, district spokesperson Michelle Price confirmed. Parker could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
First-grade teacher Abigail Zwerner, 25, was shot by her student on Jan. 6. Three school employees had warned the administration that the 6-year-old boy had a gun in the hours before the incident, Zwerner’s lawyer Diana Toscano said Wednesday.
Parker is the first known adminsitrator to resign in the wake of the shooting.
One school administrator allegedly told a concerned teacher not to search the young boy for the gun, instead advising “to wait the situation out because the school day was almost over,” according to Toscano.

Abigail ZwernerAbigail Zwerner, 25, who was intentionally shot by her 6-year-old student.
It is unconfirmed if Parker is the administrator who had given that advice or if she had been warned about the student.

Dr. Ebony ParkerDr. Ebony Parker, an assistant principal at Richneck Elementary in Newport News, resigned.Facebook
The boy “intentionally” shot Zwerner around 2 p.m. that day, and the bullet traveled through her hand into her chest, police said.


Toscano said the 25-year-old teacher had warned the school at 11:15 a.m. the boy threatened to beat up one of his peers.


“Abby Zwerner was shot in front of those horrified kids, and the school and community are living the nightmare, all because the school administration failed to act,” Toscano said, adding that the district leaders “could not be bothered” to act.


A Newport News administrator who asked to remain anonymous told The Post it’s clear Richneck Elementary leadership “failed to keep [Zwerner] safe” but questioned the resignation.

Richneck Elementary SchoolRichneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, where the shooting took place.AP Richneck Elementary SchoolThe shooting was the district’s third instance of gun violence in the past year and a half. Mike Caudill New York Post
“As an administrator it is our first priority to keep the students and staff safe, any and every threat must be taken seriously,” the administrator said.


“However, the forced resignation of one of the administrators from Richneck does not resolve the failure of the district as a whole to put procedures in place to prevent this from happening again.”


The boy who shot Zwerner used a gun his mother had purchased legally, police said. It’s unclear how he was able to get access to the weapon. Nobody has been charged in the incident, and the boy’s family said in a statement through the lawyer that he has an “acute disability.”

A police vehicle is parked in front of Richneck Elementary School Three school employees warned the administration that the 6-year-old boy had a gun in the hours before the incident.Mike Caudill New York Post Police cars on school propertyPolice at the school after the shooting on Jan. 6, 2023. ABC4
The Richneck shooting was the district’s third instance of gun violence in the past year and a half.


“Nothing, from additional trainings to getting more security equipment at the school level, has changed in response to these shootings,” the unnamed administrator told The Post.


“I am honestly tired of going to school stressed, hoping this isn’t the day something happens at my school.”
 

Teacher Abigail Zwerner sent emails about 6-year-old’s behavior before shooting​



By
Yaron Steinbuch


February 6, 2023 7:49am
Updated







The Virginia teacher who was shot by her 6-year-old student had warned administrators about his behavior — including allegedly sticking up his middle finger at a classmate and shoving another — and said she felt “uncomfortable” with him returning to her classroom.
Teacher Abigail Zwerner reported two disturbing incidents involving the boy in emails to her superiors on Nov. 22, less than two months before he allegedly shot her at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, according to documents obtained by 13News Now.
Zwerner said the boy had stuck up his middle finger to a classmate on Oct. 11 — and a month later had bumped “into a classmate while running around the class” and then pushed the student to the floor.
“As of today, I do not feel comfortable with him returning to my classroom today…,” she wrote in the email to then-Principal Briana Foster Newton and then-Assistant Principal Ebony Parker.

Abigail Zwerner.Abigail Zwerner reported two disturbing incidents involving the boy in emails to her superiors on Nov. 22.AP Police at school.Abigail Zwerner was shot and injured by the 6-year-old on Jan. 6.ABC4
Parker suggested scheduling a meeting with the boy’s father to address “behavioral difficulties” and “put some things in place to support” the troubled student, according to another email on Nov. 22 obtained by the news outlet.


An hour before the shooting, Zwerner had reportedly texted a loved one that the boy was carrying a gun in his backpack.


After the incident, the boy’s family told the district that he “suffers from an acute disability and was under a care plan at the school that included his mother or father attending school with him and accompanying him to class every day.”




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Email.
Abigail Zwerner said the boy had stuck up his middle finger to a classmate and pushed a student to the ground. 13News Now

Email.
“I do not feel comfortable with him returning to my classroom today…,” Zwerner wrote in an email to the principal. 13News Now

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abby-zwerner-email-student-behavior-03.jpg
The principal suggested scheduling a meeting with the boy’s father to address “behavioral difficulties.” 13News Now

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They said that the week of the incident “was the first week when we were not in class with him. We will regret our absence on this day for the rest of our lives.”


News about the email threads comes after the lawyer for Foster Newton said she had not been informed the student had a gun on the day of the shooting.


“It continues to be reported that unidentified school administrators were aware the 6-year-old student had a gun at school on Jan. 6 and simply failed to act,” attorney Pamela Branch told reporters last week.




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A student holds a sign she made for teacher Abby Zwerner, during a vigil gathering.
A student holds a sign she made for teacher Abigail Zwerner during a vigil gathering. Mike Caudill

A teacher speaks to attendees during a vigil at the Newport News Public Schools Administration building on Jan. 9.
A teacher speaks to attendees during a vigil at the Newport News Public Schools Administration building on Jan. 9. Mike Caudill

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Signs stand outside Richneck Elementary School in Newport News.
Signs of support stand outside Richneck Elementary School. AP





“Mrs. Newton has been assumed to be one of those administrators; however, this is far from the truth,” she said. “The fact of the matter is those who were aware the student had a gun on the premises that day did not report it to Ms. Newton.”


Newton and Parker both resigned after it was revealed administrators had allegedly been warned three times that day about the boy being armed.


Zwerner’s attorney Diane Toscano has said school staffers warned administrators the boy was armed but that nothing was done.

Students return to Richneck Elementary in Newport News, Va., on Monday, Jan. 30.Students returned to Richneck Elementary on Monday, Jan. 30.AP



She said Zwerner plans to sue the school district over the “entirely preventable” shooting.


Despite being struck in the chest and hand, the heroic teacher still managed to lead her students out of the classroom before being rushed to a hospital.


The Virginia Senate has passed a resolution praising Zwerner for her bravery.


The resolution reads: “Despite life-threatening injuries, Abby Zwerner ushered her students to safety in another room and was the last person to exit the classroom where the shooting took place; no students were injured,” and “then alerted the school administrator to call for assistance,” according to the outlet.





The boy’s mother bought the 9mm gun legally and has not been charged with a crime, authorities said.
 

6-year-old who shot Virginia teacher Abby Zwerner once choked another teacher​



By
Lee Brown


February 7, 2023 8:49am
Updated





Students return to Richneck Elementary in Newport News, Va., on Monday, Jan. 30, 2023.
The 6-year-old Virginia boy who shot his first-grade teacher previously choked another teacher "until she couldn't breathe," according to a legal filing. AP






The earlier alleged attack was detailed in a notice of claim alerting the Newport News school district that the shot and wounded teacher, Abby Zwerner, intended to sue.
The 6-year-old Virginia boy who shot his first-grade teacher had a history of abusing others at school — and even choked another teacher “until she couldn’t breathe,” according to a legal filing.
The other teacher who said she’d been choked also confirmed the alleged 2021 attack, saying she reported it at the time to school officials without getting the support she’d expected.
She told the Associated Press that the boy had come up behind her as she sat in a chair in the front of the class — then locked his forearms in front of her neck, pulling back and down, hard.
A teaching assistant had to pull the youngster off, she said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because she fears potential retaliation from the school district.

Abby Zwerner
The 6-year-old shot his teacher, Abby Zwerner on January 6th.
“I didn’t feel safe the rest of the year because I knew if they didn’t protect me when he choked me and I couldn’t breathe, then they wouldn’t protect me, my kids or my colleagues if he did something not as harmful,” she said.


The boy — who is not being identified because of his age — was later moved into another class in another school.


But it was just part of his troubling behavior, which included constantly cursing at staff and teachers and trying to whip students with his belt, according to the notice filed by Zwerner’s attorney, Diane Toscano.


Two days before the Jan. 6 shooting at Richneck Elementary School, the boy had an angry interaction with Zwerner in which he “slammed” down her cellphone and broke it, according to the court papers.




see also​





Teacher Abigail Zwerner sent emails about 6-year-old’s behavior before shooting​






He was given a one-day suspension — but when he returned to class the following day, he pulled a 9mm handgun out of his pocket and shot Zwerner while she sat at a reading table, the notice says.


“It is a miracle that more people were not harmed,” Toscano wrote in the notice.


“The shooter spent his entire recess with a gun in his pocket, a gun that was loaded and ready to fire … while lots of first-grade students played.”


The legal notice fleshed out earlier allegations of negligence at Richneck, with a detailed timeline of how Zwerner, three other teachers and a guidance counselor aired concerns about the boy having a gun.


It said that if then-Assistant Principal Ebony Parker “had acted on the information she was provided, then the shooting of Ms. Zwerner would not have happened.”


Zwerner went to Parker’s office at about 11:15 a.m. “to advise her that the shooter seemed more ‘off’ than usual and was in a violent mood,” claimed the filing.


It also said the boy had threatened to beat up a kindergarten student and “angrily stared down” the school security officer in the lunch room.


At about 11:45 a.m., another teacher learned that the boy had told students he had a gun in his backpack, the notice stated. The teacher searched the backpack at about 12:30 p.m. but found no gun.


The same teacher “was made aware that the shooter had taken something out of his backpack right before she searched the shooter’s backpack, and the shooter put it in the pocket of his hoodie before going out to recess,” the notice stated.

Lawyer Diane Toscano.Zwerner’s attorney, Diane Toscano, said it was ” a miracle that more people were not harmed” by the pupil.AP
When that teacher raised concerns to Parker, the assistant principal said the student “had small pockets, insinuating that he could not possibly have a gun on his person,” the notice of claim stated.


“Assistant Principal Parker should have called police,” the notice stated. “Instead, she did not follow proper protocol and chose to do absolutely nothing.”


Shortly after 1 p.m., a third teacher learned from a student in Zwerner’s class that the shooter showed him the gun during recess and threatened to shoot him if he told anyone, the notice stated.

Then-Assistant Principal Ebony Parker.The filing said that if then-Assistant Principal Ebony Parker “had acted on the information she was provided, then the shooting” wouldn’t have happened.
That teacher called the school’s office and shared what she knew with a fourth teacher who picked up the phone, the notice stated.


The fourth teacher relayed the information to Parker, who said she was aware of the threat and that the student’s backpack had been searched.


The third and fourth teachers conferred again. And the fourth teacher returned to Parker’s office, where a guidance counselor was raising similar concerns about the student having a gun, the notice stated.

Teacher Abigail Zwerner who was shot and injured by 6-year-old pupil on Jan. 6The earlier alleged attack was detailed in a notice by shot teacher Abigail Zwerner that she plans to sue.AP
The guidance counselor asked if he could search the child for a weapon, to which Parker said “no” because the child’s mother was arriving soon to pick him up, the notice stated.


“Then approximately 45 minutes later Ms. Zwerner was shot in her left hand and upper chest by the shooter,” the notice stated.


“Ms. Zwerner was sitting at her reading table when the shooter, who was sitting at his desk, pulled the gun out of his pocket and shot her one time.”

Richneck Elementary School sign
The teacher who was allegedly choked spoke on the condition of anonymity because she fears potential retaliation from the school district.AP
After the shooting, police said the boy was taken to a medical facility where he is receiving unspecified services.


Len Wallin, director of legal services for the school system, said in an email that it’s standard practice for the school division to forward notices of intent to sue to its insurer, which handles such litigation.


Wallin said the district’s insurer will handle decisions regarding whether it will represent Parker — who resigned last month — “after consultation with the school board, if that is necessary.”
 

Mom of 6-year-old student who shot Virginia teacher hit with pair of criminal charges​



By
Joe Tacopino


April 10, 2023 3:04pm
Updated










The mother of a 6-year-old boy who shot his first-grade teacher at a Virginia elementary school has been charged with felony child neglect and recklessly leaving a firearm so as to endanger a child, a report said.
Deja Nicole Taylor, 25, whose son shot teacher Abby Zwerner, 25, during class on Jan. 6, was formally charged by a grand jury in Newport News on Monday, according to the Daily Press.
The probe could call into question the actions of administrators at the Richneck Elementary School.
“Their investigation will continue as long as necessary to determine whether others are criminally responsible for the shooting of January 6,” the Newport News Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office said.

Abby ZwernerZwerner was shot while teaching a class. Students return to Richneck Elementary in Newport News, Va., on Monday, Jan. 30, 2023.The mother was charged with felony child neglect and recklessly leaving a firearm so as to endanger a child.Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot via AP Police look on as students return to Richneck Elementary in Newport News in January.Police look on as students return to Richneck Elementary in Newport News in January.AP
Zwerner has filed a $40 million lawsuit in the case, claiming the first-grader had “a history of random violence.”

That history included “multiple reports that a firearm was on school property and likely in possession of a violent individual,” the suit said about the troubled youngster who was suspended for smashing Zwerner’s phone two days before the shooting.

“We know for a fact that there were at least three opportunities for them to stop this from happening,” one of her attorneys, Jeffrey Breit, told the “Today” show moments after filing the suit Monday.

A 6-year-old boy shot and injured a female teacher at an elementary school in Virginia  Friday and was taken into custody, authorities said.The investigation may also hold the administrators at the Richneck Elementary School accountable.ABC4
The lawsuit mentions three defendants: Richneck’s former Assistant Principal, Ebony Parker, former school superintendent George Parker III, and former principal Briana Foster Newton.
 


Mother of Richneck shooter to turn herself in, plans to cooperate with prosecutors​

By Peter Dujardin
Daily Press

Apr 11, 2023 at 4:10 pm




Richneck Elementary in Newport News is photographed on Jan. 6, 2023. Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew has said a 6-year-old boy used his mother’s handgun, a Taurus 9mm, to shoot his first grade teacher, Abby Zwerner, in a Richneck classroom on Jan. 6. (Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot)


NEWPORT NEWS — The mother of the 6-year-old shooter at Richneck Elementary School will turn herself in by week’s end under an agreement with Newport News prosecutors, her attorney said Tuesday.

And 25-year-old Deja Nicole Taylor — charged with felony child neglect and a misdemeanor charge of recklessly leaving a firearm so as to endanger a child — will work “collaboratively” with prosecutors as the case proceeds, he vowed.



“Deja has cooperated from the first day of the incident,” attorney James Ellenson said, noting that Taylor — a mother of one — has no prior criminal record.

“Most criminal prosecutions are adversarial in nature, but we will make our best efforts so that these proceedings will be more collaborative than most,” the veteran lawyer said.



Deja Nicole Taylor, 25, of Newport News — the mother of the 6-year-old shooter at Richneck Elementary School — appears in a family photo provided by her attorney. She's charged with felony child neglect and a misdemeanor firearms access charge in the Jan. 6 shooting.


Deja Nicole Taylor, 25, of Newport News — the mother of the 6-year-old shooter at Richneck Elementary School — appears in a family photo provided by her attorney. She's charged with felony child neglect and a misdemeanor firearms access charge in the Jan. 6 shooting. (Family photo)
Ellenson said he hopes the relationships he’s developed in more than four decades as a lawyer — he’s been practicing in Newport News since 1981 — will help lead to a “satisfactory result” for all parties.

“As always, first and foremost is the continued health and wellbeing of all persons involved in the incident at Richneck Elementary School, including the teacher and Deja’s son,” Ellenson said.



Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew has said the boy used his mother’s handgun, a Taurus 9mm, to shoot his first grade teacher, Abby Zwerner, in a Richneck classroom on Jan. 6.

The chief said Taylor legally purchased the firearm in York County, with the boy bringing it to school in his backpack.


She faces up to six years behind bars if convicted of the charges.


A Newport News grand jury on Monday indicted Taylor on a felony child neglect count, punishable by up to five years behind bars. Prosecutors contend her “willful act of omission” in caring for her son showed “a reckless disregard for human life.”


The grand jury also indicted Taylor on the misdemeanor charge of “allowing access to firearms by children.”
 

Virginia

Prosecutors seek revocation of bond for Virginia boy's mother after he shot first-grade teacher​


Request comes after Deja Taylor allegedly failed multiple drug tests while awaiting sentencing on felony charges​


Associated Press

Published September 6, 2023 5:02pm EDT

Prosecutors have asked a federal judge to revoke the bond for the mother of a Virginia boy who shot and wounded his first-grade teacher after she allegedly failed multiple drug tests while awaiting sentencing on two felony charges.

Deja Taylor pleaded guilty in June to having a gun while possessing marijuana and to lying on a federal background check form when she purchased the 9mm handgun her son used to shoot teacher Abigail Zwerner at the Richneck Elementary School in Newport News. The boy was 6 when he pulled out his mother's gun in January and fired one shot at Zwerner in a classroom full of students. Zwerner was seriously wounded.
Taylor was released on bond pending sentencing on the condition that she refrain from unlawful drug use and possession. In a motion filed in U.S. District Court last week, prosecutors said Taylor tested positive for marijuana and cocaine use, failed to show up for two drug screenings and missed two scheduled drug treatment sessions.

"These violations are serious and call into question the defendant’s danger to the community, respect for the law and this Court’s Orders, and gives the United States no faith that the defendant will abide by the terms of her court supervision since her conduct is repeated and not merely one mistake," Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lisa McKeel and Peter Osyf wrote.

James Ellenson, one of Taylor's lawyers, told The Virginian-Pilot that he will ask U.S. District Judge Mark Davis not to revoke her bond.

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"Like so many Americans, my client has serious substance abuse issues that are exacerbated by mental health issues. We would ask for compassion and understanding at this time. As always, we express a continued speedy recovery to Ms. Zwerner," Ellenson told The Associated Press in an emailed statement.
Prosecutors asked the judge to hold a hearing on their request. No date has been scheduled yet. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 18. As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors agreed to ask for a sentence of 18 months to 24 months in prison.


Prosecutors have asked a judge to revoke a bond from the mother of a Virginia boy who shot his first-grade teacher.

Taylor pleaded guilty last month to a separate state charge of felony child neglect. In that case, prosecutors agreed to ask for a sentence that falls within state guidelines, which is expected to be no more than six months. Prosecutors also agreed to drop a misdemeanor charge of reckless storage of a firearm. Sentencing is scheuled for Oct. 27.

Ellenson has said Taylor believed her gun was secured on a high closet shelf with a trigger lock before the shooting occurred. Federal prosecutors have said that neither a trigger lock nor key to such a lock was found during searches of Taylor's home.
Both cases are among the repercussions that followed the shooting, which shook the city of Newport News near the Atlantic Coast.

Zwerner is suing the school system for $40 million, accusing school administrators of gross negligence and of ignoring multiple warnings the day of the shooting that the boy had a gun at school.
 
Deja Taylor


Mother of Boy, 6, Who Shot Va. Teacher Sentenced to 21 Months​

Kimberlee Speakman
Thu, November 16, 2023 at 9:12 AM MST·3 min read


Deja Taylor pleaded guilty in June for illegally possessing a firearm and making a false statement to purchase it.

<p>Stephen M. Katz/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service via Getty</p>

Stephen M. Katz/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service via Getty
The mother of the 6-year-old boy who shot his teacher at a Virginia elementary school, has been sentenced to 21 months in prison for felony offenses.

The ruling — the Associated Press, CNN and New York Times reported — comes after Deja Taylor, 26, pleaded guilty in June for illegally possessing a firearm while using marijuana and making a false statement about using the drug on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) form to buy the firearm.

In January, Taylor's 6-year-old son "shot and severely injured" Abigail Zwerner, a first grade Richneck Elementary School teacher, with a Taurus, Model PT111, G2A, 9mm, semiautomatic handgun, according to the U.S. District Attorney’s Office Eastern District Virginia. The firearm was traced back to a purchase Taylor made in July 2022.

Taylor’s home was searched by investigators who found “narcotics packaging, narcotics paraphernalia, marijuana, marijuana edible packaging, a box of ammunition, and a black firearm barrel lock,” the DA's office said. They added that the agents also found "approximately 24.5 grams of marijuana, marijuana edible packaging, and marijuana paraphernalia" at the home of Taylor’s mother.

Related: 6-Year-Old Boy Shoots Teacher at Virginia Elementary School: 'This Was Not an Accidental Shooting'


Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service via Getty
Students return to Richneck Elementary in Newport News, Virginia, on Monday, Jan. 30, 2023.

Taylor’s attorneys asked for her to be sentenced to three years of probation with “home confinement and appropriate counseling,”
according to a filing obtained by CNN. However, federal prosecutors asked for a 21-month sentence for each count — which was granted — with the judge ordering Taylor to serve the sentences concurrently, her attorney told the outlet.

PEOPLE has reached out to the U.S. District Attorney’s Office Eastern District Virginia for comment.

Zwerner testified during Taylor’s court hearing that the shooting has impacted her life. Her recovery has included "five surgeries and regular intensive therapy to restore motion in her hand," ABC News reported.

"Not only do I bear physical scars from the shooting that will remain with me forever, I contend daily with deep, psychological scars that plague me during most waking moments and invade my dreams," she said during the hearing, per the outlet.

Related: Virginia Teacher Shot by 6-Year-Old Files $40M Lawsuit Over School's Failure to Protect Her


Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service via Getty

A photo of Abby Zwerner is pinned to a coat during a vigil for Abby Zwerner, the teacher shot by a 6-year-old student at Richneck Elementary, in front of the Newport News Public Schools Administration Building in January. She made her first public appearance Monday, March 20, 2023.
She added, "This permanent damage should never have been allowed to happen to me and would not have happened if not for the defendant's actions or lack thereof.”

One of Taylor’s attorneys, Gene Rossi, said in a statement to ABC News that his client was “extremely sorry and very remorseful” for her “actions” and that she would feel remorse “for the rest of my life.”

Taylor also pleaded guilty to child neglect charges in August, CNN reported. That sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 15.

As for Zwerner, she filed a $40 million lawsuit against her school district, accusing the school’s staff of negligence. According to ABC News, she alleged that the school’s vice principal was warned multiple times by different teachers on the day of the shooting that the child involved was behaving violently and reportedly had a gun.

The school tried to dismiss her lawsuit, but a judge ruled earlier this month that it could move forward, per the outlet.
 
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