After 6-year-old shoots teacher in class, criticism mounts for Virginia school district as officials leave their posts

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CNN, WTVR, WTKR

By Aya Elamroussi, CNN

After a 6-year-old allegedly pointed a gun at his teacher and shot him in the chest inside a Virginia elementary school earlier this month, the fallout over whether the shooting was preventable have widened as school officials leave their posts and the district faces a possible lawsuit.

Dr. Ebony Parker, vice-principal at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, resigned on Wednesday, a district spokesperson told CNN.

The resignation came hours before the Newport News School Board votes to oust its superintendent, Dr. George Parker III, whose last day is scheduled for February 1. The board appointed an interim superintendent.

School officials have come under heavy criticism after a 6-year-old student brought the gun legally purchased by his mother to school on January 6 and intentionally shot and killed his first-grade teacher, Abby Zwerner, after an altercation, police announced. The boy also has a disability, his family said.

Frustration over gun violence infiltrating another school in the United States – as the country experiences traumatic shootings almost daily in commonplaces – was heightened on Wednesday when the teacher’s lawyer alleged that those responsible of the school had been repeatedly informed of the presence of the weapon.

“Within hours, three different times – three times – the school administration was alerted by concerned teachers and employees that the boy had a gun on him at school and was threatening people,” the school said. lawyer Diane Toscano to reporters during a press conference. conference on Wednesday.

As the attorney announced that a lawsuit would be filed against the district, she said the administration “did not act” despite its “knowledge of imminent danger.”

“Abby and those other teachers at Richneck Elementary School tried to do the right thing on January 6,” Toscano said. “But the administration couldn’t be bothered.”

A school district spokesperson declined to comment on the potential lawsuit.

Zwerner, 25, was initially in critical condition and later stabilized before being released from hospital.

The school has been closed since the shooting and plans to return on Monday. As the first day back approaches, a concerned parent said his son was in the student’s class and had been distraught since the shooting.

“It’s a scary situation, my son is still scared,” Mark Garcia Sr. told CNN. “He wants to go back to school, but he just wants to know he’s going to be safe, and that’s the most important thing.”

The school’s alleged inaction is “horrifying,” Garcia said.

“People who are aware of this have let us down and they have breached the safety measures of everyone inside this school,” he said.

Hours before shooting

Before the shooting happened in Zwerner’s first-grade classroom, there were warning signs tied to the student, the teacher’s attorney said in detail Wednesday.

On January 6, just before 11:30 a.m., Zwerner told an administrator that the 6-year-old had “threatened to beat up another child,” Toscano said. Administration did not remove the student from class or call security, Toscano claimed.

An hour later around 12:30 p.m., another teacher told the administrator she believed the student had put a gun in his pocket and pulled it out at recess, Toscano claimed. The administrator allegedly “played down” the possibility, Toscano said, responding that the boy had “small pockets.”

Then, shortly after 1 p.m., a third teacher told administrators that another child – described by Toscano as “crying and fearful” – informed the teacher that the 6-year-old “showed him the gun at recess and threatened to shoot him if he told anyone.”

A fourth employee then asked the administration for permission to search the boy but was refused, Toscano said.

About an hour later, the 6-year-old student allegedly shot Zwerner, the lawyer said. CNN reached out to the school district to comment on Toscano’s claims.

The shooting occurred after an altercation between Zwerner and the student, who pointed the gun at her and fired a single bullet, Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew said at the time.

No other students were involved and there was no physical fighting or wrestling, the leader said.

The boy was remanded in custody and was assessed at a local hospital.

The shooting at Richneck Elementary was the first this year at an American school, according to a CNN analysis. In 2022, there were 60 K-12 school shootings, according to CNN’s analysis.

Boy’s family say they are praying for a teacher

The 6-year-old remains unidentified publicly, but his family has released statements through his lawyer.

On Wednesday, the family said they continue to “pray for Ms. Zwerner and wish her a full and complete recovery,” the attorney told CNN in a statement. “Our thoughts are with everyone involved.”

In an earlier statement, the family said the boy had a disability and was receiving care at school.

“Our son has an acute disability and was under a care plan at school which included his mother or father attending school with him and accompanying him to class every day,” the family statement reads. .

According to the family, the gun allegedly used was secured prior to the shooting. A family member usually went to class with him, but not the week of the shoot, they said.

“We will regret our absence on this day for the rest of our lives,” the family said.

Notably, the police chief indicated that the boy’s mother could possibly face charges in the shooting.

Under Virginia law, it is an offense for an adult to leave a firearm loaded and unsecured in such a way that it could endanger a child under 14. It is prohibited for a person to unknowingly allow a child under the age of 12 to use a firearm.

The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Company. Discovery. All rights reserved.

CNN’s Brian Todd and Aileen Graef contributed reporting from Newport News, Va. CNN’s Michelle Watson, Chris Boyette, Sara Smart and Dakin Andone also contributed to this report.

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