The first grade teacher at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia who was shot by a 6-year-old said she thought she had died.
Abigail Zwerner,25, told Savannah Guthrie on ‘TODAY that the bullet went through her left hand, ruptured bones in two of her fingers before striking her in her chest.
“It could have been fatal,” she said. “We believe that by the bullet going through my hand first that it most likely saved my life.”
After she was shot, Zwerner said her first thought was to get the other students to safety.
“I was terrified. In that moment, my initial reaction was, ‘Your kids need to get out of here,’ you know? ‘This is not a safe classroom anymore,'” she said. “I just wanted to get my babies out of there.”
After ensuring that the students were safe, Zwerner sought help at the office. By that time her lung had collapsed, and she started having trouble breathing. She lost consciousness when she reached the office.
“I remember I went to the office, and I just passed out,” she said. “I thought I had died.”
Zwerner spent weeks in the hospital and has undergone four surgeries since the January 6 shooting, most recently on her hand. She told NBC she still faces “obstacles and challenges” following the multiple operations.
“Some days are not so good days, where I can’t get up out of bed. Some days are better than others, where I’m able to get out of bed and make it to my appointments,” she said. “But, you know, for going through what I’ve gone through, I try to stay positive.”
Earlier this month, Newport News Commonwealth’s Attorney Howard Gwynn said the boy who allegedly shot Zwerner will not be criminally charged. The boy’s family said in a statement after the shooting that he suffers from an “acute disability” and a parent usually went with him to class, but one was not present on the day of the shooting.
Zwerner told NBC that she would never forget the look on the boy’s face as he aimed the gun at her.
“I remember him pointing the gun at me, I remember the look on his face,” she said, adding: “I’m not sure when the shock will ever go away, because of just how surreal it was and you know, the vivid memories that I have of that day. I think about it daily. Sometimes I have nightmares.”
“It’s changed me, it’s changed my life,” Zwerner said.
