‘Unprecedented situation’: Newport News police chief says 6-year-old shot teacher with legally purchased gun
Rachel Schilke
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Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew called the shooting of a Virginia teacher by a 6-year-old student an unprecedented situation and said the child brought a legally purchased handgun to school in his backpack.
First-grade teacher Abigail Zwerner, 25, was shot by the student on Jan. 6 in a nonaccidental shooting at Richneck Elementary School while providing class instruction, Drew said during a press conference Monday.
“It was intentional,” Drew said. “I told her today, I believe Ms. Zwerner, Abigail, she saved lives on Friday.”
Zwerner is currently in stable condition after going to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. Drew said when he went to see Zwerner, her first question was, “Do you know how my students are?”
“She is a trooper,” Drew said. “She is a hero.”
Zwerner was shot once through the side of her hand into her upper chest with a 9 mm firearm, Drew said. There was no interaction between the student and Zwerner that occurred to cause the shooting, he said.
After being shot, Zwerner made sure her students, 16 to 20 children, were out of the classroom and safe before heading to the administration office to be given first aid, Drew said.
SIX-YEAR-OLD STUDENT SHOOTS TEACHER AT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA
“I believe she did save lives because I don’t know what else might have happened if those kids would have stayed in the room,” Drew said.
Authorities received the report of Zwerner being shot at 1:59 p.m., and officers were dispatched at 2 p.m. The first deputies arrived on the scene at 2:04 p.m., Drew said.
Everything happened in one classroom, and there was no active shooter situation throughout the school at any point, Drew confirmed.
Upon arrival, the 6-year-old boy was being physically restrained by a school employee that came into the room after the gun was fired. Police took the boy, who was combative and had struck the employee, and placed him in custody in a police vehicle.
Police determined through an interview with the student and his mother that he had found the gun in his home and the gun was legally purchased by his mother in York County. Police did not release any details as to where the gun was located in the home or how he was able to obtain it.
Drew added that more interviews will be conducted with faculty members and children who were present in the classroom as the investigation moves forward.
“I wish that we never had to have [the question] asked: ‘How does a 6-year-old know how to use a firearm?'” Drew said. “I don’t know that I could give you an adequate answer.”
The chief said the boy was transported to a medical center for evaluation, but he did not further elaborate. He is under a temporary detention order, Drew said.
Once information is gathered from interviews, human services and Child Protective Services, child psychologists and other involved parties, the police will confer with the district attorney to determine how or if charges will be filed against the boy or other family members, Drew said.
Officers immediately began shepherding all elementary students into the gymnasium upon their arrival and were “bonding and [trying] to make the situation that we’re dealing with the best that we could,” Drew said. The identification process and reunification of students with their parents took three hours, school Superintendent George Parker said.
Parker said the school is in the process of learning all the details of what happened on Jan. 6 and that their priority is the mental and physical well-being and safety of their students.
“I know that we have to find a pathway to move forward,” Parker said. “And I know that means that while we may be angry or in fear and don’t understand all the details of what transpired, we’ll get to that point where we can answer all those questions, where we can clearly communicate what moving forward will look like.”
A town hall will be set up for parents to share their concerns, Parker said. It was unknown at the time of publishing when school operations at the elementary school would start back up.
“No way do I believe that we were fully prepared for a 6-year-old student to bring a gun to school and shoot a teacher,” Parker said. “So, there’s a lot to learn here and a lot to unpack.”
Parker said that, while he has made it clear to faculty and board members that he does not want his schools to look and feel like a prison, if they cannot maintain safety, the board may need to revise its stance on security procedures.
“I don’t believe anything would have avoided this circumstance right here unless kids walked through a metal detector,” Parker said.
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Mayor Phillip Jones said he is standing with the school board as it works to safeguard against a similar situation happening again.
“This has shaken us, this has shaken me, but Newport News is a strong community,” Jones said. “And together, we are going to work together to ensure that the well-being of our children remains a priority.”