Boy, 6, Showed Classmates His Gun Before VA Teacher Was Shot: Report

NEWPORT NEWS, VA — The 6-year-old boy who police said shot his teacher at a Newport News elementary school last month showed his classmates the gun during recess and threatened to kill them if they told anyone, according to a Washington Post report.

Abigail Zwerner, a first-grade teacher at Richneck Elementary School, texted a friend before the shooting and said the boy had stolen her phone and slammed it on the ground. He was upset about a schedule change, the Post reported. When she told administrators about the incident, they blamed her, she reportedly told her friend.

Two days later, police said the boy took his mother's 9mm handgun to school, pulled it from his backpack, and used it to shoot Zwerner.

The Post interviewed nearly three dozen teachers, parents, and children at Richneck Elementary School, where police said the 6-year-old student intentionally shot his first-grade teacher on Jan. 6. The Post also reviewed messages, emails and other documents pertaining to the case.

The Post's findings add to an alarming portrait of a young boy's behavior and what many are calling the school administration's failure to address it.

Earlier this week, The Associated Press reported the boy previously choked another teacher "until she couldn't breathe" and tried to whip other students with his belt.

The incidents were detailed in a notice sent to the Newport News school district by Zwerner's attorney, which informed the district about Zwerner's intent to sue.

According to the notice obtained by The AP, the boy allegedly "slammed" Zwerner's cell phone and broke it. School officials gave him a one-day suspension, but when he returned to class the following day, he shot Zwerner while she sat at a reading table, the notice said.

The notice also said an unnamed teacher confirmed a choking incident in 2021. The teacher said the boy came up behind her as she sat in a chair, locked his forearms in front of her neck, and pulled back and down, The AP reported. A teaching assistant was able to pull the boy off her.

According to the Post, the 6-year-old was moved to a half-day schedule due to his behavior in early September. He was suspended for a day after taking Zwerner's phone.

James Ellenson, an attorney for the family of the 6-year-old boy, declined to comment when reached by Post but said in a statement that Newport News schools "had a duty to protect all the parties involved, especially the child who needed to be protected from himself."

Police Chief Steve Drew has repeatedly characterized the shooting as "intentional," saying the boy aimed at Zwerner and fired one round, striking her in the hand and chest.

Zwerner was hospitalized for nearly two weeks but is now recovering at home, a hospital spokesperson said.

On Jan. 25, the Newport News school board voted to fire Superintendent George Parker III after he faced a barrage of criticism following the shooting. Hours before the board's vote, Zwerner announced she planned to sue the school district.

Zwerner's lawyer, Diane Toscano, said that on the day of the shooting, concerned teachers and employees warned administrators three times the boy had a gun on him and was threatening other students, but "the administration could not be bothered."

Parker told parents after the incident that a school official was notified about the weapon before the shooting. However, no gun was found when the child's backpack was searched.

School administrators have also been accused of downplaying the boy's behavior and repeatedly ignoring Zwerner's requests for help, according to a separate Washington Post report. Teachers told the Post that Zwerner alerted school officials about the boy's behavior and repeatedly sought assistance during the school year.

In a statement released by their attorney, the boy's family said their son suffers from an acute disability and was under a care plan at the school, including his mother or father attending school with him and accompanying him to class every day.

According to the family, the week of the shooting was the first that a parent was not in class with him.

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

After the shooting, the boy was taken to a medical facility where he is receiving unspecified services.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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