According to a recently unsealed search warrant, the six-year-old student who allegedly shot his teacher was openly bragging about his actions — telling people at the scene: “I shot that b—h dead.”
On January 6, 2023, a six-year-old boy allegedly brought his mother’s gun to Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, and shot 25-year-old teacher Abigail Zwerner. The teacher, who was one of many staff members who had expressed serious concerns to school administrators about this particular student, sustained gunshot wounds to her left hand and upper torso.
According to the parent of another child in the class, Zwerner “screamed at her kids to run away” after she was shot.
“Even after she’d been shot she was thinking about the safety of her children. My son didn’t see what happened; he heard the gunshot go off and turned around to see Miss Zwerner on the floor,” the father reportedly told The Daily Mail.
The unsealed search warrant, which was reported on by local CBS affiliate WTKR, showed that the student boasted about the shooting to reading specialist Amy Kovac — who assisted in restraining the student until law enforcement arrived on the scene.
The document shows that the student admitted to having shot his teacher — allegedly telling Kovac, “I shot that b—h dead,” “I did it” and “I got my mom’s gun last night.”
While the six-year-old has not been charged for the shooting, his mother has. Deja Taylor faces one felony charge of child neglect and one misdemeanor charge for leaving a firearm where a child is able to access it and cause harm. Taylor has already pleaded guilty to one federal charge in connection with using marijuana while in possession of a firearm.
A 6-year-old Virginia boy shot his teacher Abigail Zwerner and bragged about it, saying, "I did it … I shot that b*tch dead."
The teacher, 25, who suffered a collapsed lung and other severe injuries, has since resigned and filed a $40 million lawsuit against the school… pic.twitter.com/wCyqN2v8sk
— BoreCure (@CureBore) August 9, 2023
In a statement to the Washington Post, former director of the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice Andrew Block explained the difficulties behind prosecuting a six-year-old child.
“As a practical matter, it would be next to impossible to prosecute a 6-year-old, no matter how serious,” Block’s statement read. “The bigger barrier, presuming the prosecution could overcome that, is all defendants have to be competent to stand trial. That means you have to understand the nature of legal proceedings against you and assist in your own defense. There’s no way a 6-year-old would meet that criteria.”
Zwerner has since filed a $40 million lawsuit over the incident — which accuses the local school board, the superintendent of schools, and her school’s assistant principal of knowing that the child was potentially dangerous but taking no action to deal with the problem when they had the chance.
The six-year-old student had a history of violence and making threats, according to her lawsuit.
“All Defendants knew that John Doe attacked students and teachers alike, and his motivation to injure was directed toward anyone in his path, both in and out of school,” the lawsuit alleges.
Zwerner also claims in the lawsuit that the school had placed the student on a modified schedule because of previous behavioral problems, including threatening and cursing at teachers — as well as “chasing students around the playground with a belt in an effort to whip them.”
According to the New York Post, the student had even previously told another school employee that he wanted to light Zwerner on fire and watch her die.
