Police say the gun used by a 6-year-old student to shoot his teacher at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, on Friday was legally purchased by the child’s mother.
Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew identified the weapon used in the shooting as a 9 millimeter Taurus firearm. Drew said the child brought the weapon to school in his backpack on Friday.
The teacher, identified as Abigail Zwerner, 25, was teaching a lesson when the child drew the firearm and pointed it at her. The teacher held up her hands in a defensive position before the child fired one round. The bullet went through her hand and into her chest. She is in stable condition.
“There was no physical struggle or fight,” between the teacher and the child, said Drew.
Zwerner made sure all the children were evacuated from her classroom after she was shot then she sought help at the administrative office.
“She made sure every one of those kids were out of that room. She was the last one to leave … after suffering a gunshot wound, to make sure her students were safe,” said Drew.
An unnamed female school employee restrained the 6-year-old shooter until police arrived.
The child is being evaluated at a medical facility and is under a temporary detention order.
Drew said more interviews and investigation are needed to determine if the gun was secured in the home. Once those are completed, Virginia’s attorney general’s office will make a decision about whether to charge the child’s parents.
