A 6-year-old boy, who injured his teacher at a Virginia elementary school by firing a shot, reportedly told a witness, “I shot that b—h dead,” as revealed in recently unsealed court documents.
Abby Zwerner, the 25-year-old teacher who was wounded at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News on January 6, managed to survive her injuries before resigning in June.
The boy’s identity remains undisclosed, and he will not face criminal charges. His mother, Deja Taylor, has entered plea deals related to state and federal charges connected to the incident.
According to police records, the events unfolded shortly after Zwerner’s class returned from recess and were divided into reading groups. School staff member Amy Kovac and an administrator had previously searched the child’s backpack based on reports from other students claiming he had a gun.
However, the weapon was not found in the bag. Zwerner recounted to law enforcement that while her students were reading, the 6-year-old retrieved the gun from his backpack and fired one shot, injuring her hand and chest.
Kovac, who was outside the classroom during the incident, heard the gunshot and rushed in to subdue the young shooter temporarily. During this time, the child allegedly confessed to the shooting by stating, “I shot that b—h dead,” “I did it,” and “I got my mom’s gun last night,” as stated in the police documents.
During his brief time within Newport News Public Schools, the boy faced disciplinary action multiple times due to various incidents. A former kindergarten teacher recounted an instance where the child had reportedly attempted to choke her.
In May, Taylor, the boy’s mother, revealed that her son had been diagnosed with ADHD.
