Administrators of the school in Virginia, where a first grader shot his teacher last week, discovered that the child may have had a gun in his possession before the shootingbut they did not confiscate the 9mm handgun he brought to his class, the superintendent of the school system said.
Superintendent George Parker told parents in an online meeting Thursday night that a school official knew about the gun before the 6-year-old at Richneck Elementary in Newport News shot the teacher.
WAVY TV showed a clip of the meeting where the supervisor told parents: “At least one administrator was made aware of a possible weapon in the time frame we are looking at and knew that the student had or could have carried a weapon on campus.”
🚨BREAKING: School officials may know 6-year-old had gun in Virginia teacher shooting https://t.co/9dOo5Rire1
— The Independent (@Independent) January 13, 2023
The online meeting was for parents only, but according to WAVY-TV, a parent gave the channel access to the meeting. The Associated Press sent multiple messages to the superintendent and a school spokeswoman, but neither responded.
There were no immediate details about how they got hold of the gun or why it wasn’t found before the shooting. The police chief has previously said the gun was in the boy’s backpack when he left for school.
Abigail Zwerner, a 25-year-old teacher, was shot in the chest and her injuries were initially thought to be life-threatening. However, her condition has improved and she is now stable in a hospital.
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Lisa Surles-Law, the head of the Newport News School Board, said earlier Thursday that metal detectors will be placed in all schools, starting with Richneck.
The shooting happened on January 6 while Zwerner was teaching her class. Authorities said the 6-year-old boy pointed the gun at Zwerner without any warning or struggle.
Police Chief Steve Drew has said the shooting was planned. The child is being held in a medical facility due to an emergency order. A judge decides what happens to the child.
Drew said the kid used the gun his mom bought legally. It is not clear how he got hold of the weapon. Virginia law makes it a felony to leave a loaded gun where a child under 14 can reach it… Follow us on Lee Daily for more news like this.
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