Virginia mother of 6-year-old who shot teacher reveals why son had parent accompany him to class
Rachel Schilke
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The mother of a 6-year-old boy who shot his teacher in Virginia revealed her son’s acute disability and said he felt he was being ignored in school.
Deja Taylor, the mother of the student, said in an interview with Good Morning America that her son has ADHD, a disorder causing someone to be unable to remain still and makes it difficult to concentrate.
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“He has ADHD. Some are able to have it at a very mild rate,” Taylor said. “He’s off the wall, doesn’t sit still — ever.”
Her son shot his teacher, 25-year-old Abigail Zwerner, on Jan. 6 while she was teaching in the classroom at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia. Zwerner suffered gunshot wounds to her chest and hand but survived. Taylor was arrested and charged in April with felony child neglect and one count of recklessly leaving a firearm to endanger a child. Her son will not be criminally charged.
Due to having ADHD, one of the student’s parents typically attended classes with him. The week Zwerner was shot, family members stopped going to the classroom.
Taylor said they made this decision because “he had started medication” and “was meeting his goals academically.”
The mother also said her son “actually really liked” Zwerner but felt as though he was being ignored in school. It was revealed that the school district had been warned about Taylor’s son at least three times prior to the shooting, and he was previously suspended for an incident involving Zwerner as well.
After Zwerner asked him to sit down one day, Taylor said, “He threw his arms up, he said, ‘Fine,’ and when he threw his arms up, he knocked her phone out of her hand, on accident. And he got suspended for that.”
Zwerner is suing the school district for $40 million due to these previous warnings and a tip received the day of the shooting that the 6-year-old student might have a weapon in his backpack. School officials said they checked his bag but did not locate a weapon. It is unclear how he got the gun into the classroom.
While she was teaching, the student pointed the gun at Zwerner and shot her, causing her to spend two weeks in a hospital. The gun used was a legally purchased gun owned by Taylor, and the family claimed it was “secured” by a trigger lock on the top shelf of her bedroom closet.
When asked how the student got the gun, family attorney James Ellenson said, “Nobody knows.” When pressed on the topic, he added, “We’re not ready to discuss that at this point. I don’t know that any adult knows exactly how he got the gun.”
In court filings, the Newport News school district argued that Zwerner’s injuries fall under the state’s worker compensation act and cannot be addressed in her lawsuit, per the Associated Press.
Taylor made an initial court appearance on April 14, and a date for a bench trial was set for Aug. 15. She could face up to five years in prison on the felony charge and up to one year for the reckless endangerment charge.
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She said she accepts responsibility for the shooting and has since apologized to Zwerner.
“That is my son, so I am, as a parent, obviously, willing to take responsibility for him because he can’t take responsibility for himself,” Taylor said.