Mom Of First-Grader Who Shot Teacher Has Failed Drug Tests: Prosecutors

NEWPORT NEWS, VA — Prosecutors want to revoke the bond of the mother of a 6-year-old boy who police said shot his teacher at a Newport News elementary school, claiming she failed drug tests and missed treatment dates while awaiting her October sentencing on gun charges, according to a Washington Post report.

Deja Taylor, 26, of Newport News, was released ahead of sentencing after pleading guilty to federal charges that she lied on a background check to purchase a handgun and used marijuana while in possession of the gun.

The same gun was later taken out of Taylor's purse by her 6-year-old son, who used it to shoot Richneck Elementary School teacher Abigail Zwerner on Jan. 6, according to police.

Taylor's attorney has not filed a response to the motion and declined to comment when contacted by the Post. A judge will determine whether Taylor will remain free or return to jail.

Documents released in early August further detailed the shooting at Richneck Elementary School, where police said the boy used the 9mm handgun to shoot his first-grade teacher, who survived the attack. Police said the boy took the gun to school and pulled it from his backpack before using it to shoot Zwerner.

Newport News 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. The shot resulted in severe injuries, including a lung collapse.

Zwerner spent two weeks in the hospital before she was released.

According to the documents obtained by WTKR, the child boasted after the shooting, telling school officials he "shot that b---- dead," according to unsealed redacted search warrants obtained by WTKR-TV earlier this month. He also made the comments when a staff member restrained him after the shooting, saying, "I did it" and "I got my mom's gun last night."

In a statement released shortly after the shooting, the boy's family said their son suffered from an acute disability and was under a care plan at the school.

School administrators have 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.

Before the shooting, the boy choked another teacher "until she couldn't breathe" and tried to whip other students with his belt, according to legal records obtained by The Associated Press. The incidents were detailed in a notice sent to the Newport News school district by an attorney for Zwerner, who has filed a $40 million lawsuit against the district.

According to the notice obtained, 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.

The legal notice also detailed Zwerner's account of the shooting and contained a timeline describing how Zwerner, three other teachers and a guidance counselor expressed concerns to administrators about the child possibly having a gun.

In a May interview with "Good Morning America," the boy's mother claimed responsibility for the shooting while revealing her son's ADHD diagnosis. According to the interview, Taylor described her son as a "great" but "very energetic" kid.

"I am, as a parent, obviously willing to take responsibility for him because he can't take responsibility" for himself, she said in the interview.

Taylor also said her son "really liked" Zwerner and stated the boy told her "he felt like he was being ignored" the week of the shooting.

In addition to federal gun charges, Taylor was charged with felony child neglect and could serve up to six months in state prison based on prosecutors' recommendation. She pleaded guilty to the charge in August and will be sentenced on Oct. 27, according to reports.

As part of a plea deal, a misdemeanor charge of recklessly leaving a loaded firearm to endanger a child was dropped. That allows Taylor to avoid a potential six-year prison sentence, reports said.

After the shooting, Taylor's attorney had said it was unclear how the boy obtained the gun because it was stored with a trigger lock on the top shelf of a bedroom closet.

But a prosecutor said in court in August that the child took the gun from his mother's purse, which was on top of a dresser. The gun was not secured with a trigger lock, the prosecutor said.

"I stole it because I needed to shoot my teacher," the prosecutor said the boy told investigators.

MORE COVERAGE:

• Mom Of Boy, 6, Who Shot Teacher Facing New Drug-Related Gun Charges
• VA Boy 'Really Liked' Teacher He Shot, Mother Says
• VA School Board Wants Abigail Zwerner's $40M Lawsuit Tossed
• Mother Of Boy, 6, Who Shot VA Teacher Was Depressed, Attorney Says
• VA School Where Boy, 6, Shot Teacher At Center Of Criminal Probe
• Mother Of VA 6-Year-Old Indicted After Elementary School Shooting
• 'I Thought I Had Died': VA Teacher Recounts Classroom Shooting