A six-year-old is in custody after he intentionally shot his teacher at a Virginia elementary school Friday afternoon, police say.
Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew said the shooting occurred in a first-grade classroom at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Va. during an altercation between the teacher and the student. A single round was fired and no other students were injured.
The teacher, identified as Abby Zwerner, was transported to hospital. Her injuries are still considered life-threatening but there was “some improvement” from an earlier update when Drew said her condition was “critical.”
Newport News Public Schools Superintendent, Dr. George Parker said Richneck Elementary School will be closed on Monday.
“We need the community’s support, continued support, to make sure that guns are not available to youth and I’m sounding like a broken record today, because I continue to reiterate that: that we need to keep the guns out of the hands of our young people,” Parker said, according to CNN.
The investigation is ongoing. It is still unclear how the 6-year-old got the weapon used in the incident.
[Featured Image: Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News VIA Getty Images]
