VA - 6-YEAR-OLD in custody after shooting teacher, Newport News, Jan 2023 *mom charged* #2

[al66pine]

NN Prosecutor. The things we learn while from W/S cases.

The cities in Hampton Roads all function independently so no counties so to speak.

@JourneyRain
Thanks for pointing this out and prompting me to learn about "Independent Cities" in VA.* Of the 41 "independent U.S. cities" 38 are in Virginia, and three in other states.

New to me. No wonder I was puzzled about why Gramm was not described as a county prosecutor or a district atty.

________________________________________
* "In the United States, an independent city is a city that is not in the territory of any county or counties and is considered a primary administrative division of its state.[1] Independent cities are classified by the United States Census Bureau as "county equivalents" and may also have similar governmental powers to a consolidated city-county..... an independent city was legally separated from any county or merged with a county that simultaneously ceased to exist even in name.[2]

"Of the 41 independent U.S. cities,[3] 38 are in Virginia, whose state constitution makes them a special case." (sbm)

Independent city (United States) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[PrairieWind]

So a dad is present in the child's life so why was only the mother charged? Two adults living at the same residence he should hold some accountability as well. IMHO.

I think it is still unclear what the home situation was. I see the letter is from "the family". I'm wondering if maybe the father didn't live in the home and that is why only Mom is charged. Unless father's rights were terminated, he would need to be included on any IEP or accommodation directive for the child.

 

[Anicole]

Could the charges on only her be because the gun belonged to and was registered to her?

 

[EmiliaRT007]

Virginia 6-year-old who shot his teacher exposes flaws in how schools treat students with disabilities

The same problems that led to a 6-year-old boy shooting his teacher in Virginia often play out across the nation, as schools fail to follow disability plans

www.usatoday.com

This summarizes everything we have been saying. I am just glad to be out of the mess now. Kids with IEP's used to have difficulty with reading. Or a severe disability, like deafness or vision loss.

Now, you may have a kid who raped his sibling, carries weapons to school, and does meth at age 8. Yeah. Working on reading isn't going to help much.

As a kid with an IEP I actually kinda agree with this. I have multiple disabilities such as ADHD, autism, hearing and vision loss, dyslexia, FAS, and sensory processing disorder. None of mine are related to this kinda stuff.

Sure, my mom drank while pregnant with me, but I don’t smoke weed and rape my siblings. They’re throwing IEPs around like candy. Poor behavior is often the parents’ fault. There’s a difference between a behavioral disorder and a spoiled brat.

It’s not the kid’s fault, most of the time it’s the parents who fail the child. I don’t agree with spanking as from what I’ve found (I’m a babysitter), kids that I know are spanked tend to be the WORST. They are very physical. It messes with a kid’s mind. Why hit your child when they can’t? I was spanked and showed these signs too. Still, discipline works. Even time out or taking toys.

This kid is definitely troubled. He needs help. I do not agree with putting him in custody. I don’t care that he had a gun in him, he’s six. There’s still time to teach this kid. If he has a behavioral disability, why are the parents not treating it? Having behavioral disabilities myself I did not respond to typical discipline and needed counseling and therapy as a child. I was also medicated. It helped me personally.

He needs treatment for the condition that he may have, and another question. Why are the parents not hiding a LOADED GUN from a six year old boy with known behavioral problems? They say they hid it and that he found it, but I highly doubt that. Since six year olds are usually just 4 feet tall they can’t reach anything about 5’6” or taller and I suspect the parents are about that size. The parents should put the gun out of the child’s reach. What stupid parents. They definitely failed this kid. He needs hardcore therapy and rehab for his behavior. He needs to be homeschooled if possible or at least in a special needs class that knows how to handle behavior disabilities.

Why is he in a “normal” class if he is special needs? Condolences to the teacher. Mom should be charged, and luckily she is. Stupid mom for allowing the kid to bring a gun to school. She really needs to discipline him but also get him treatment for his problems. She failed her son. He is a danger to himself and others.

 

[YepperBepper]

Having never seen any documentation in my career teaching school that required a parent to attend school with a child, if that was their agreement with the school, the child should not have been in the classroom without the parent. He would have been sitting in the office until a parent showed up to be with him, or take him home for other arrangements for his day.

That would not be denying him education, as the parents were the ones who apparently had this plan in place.

School administration fail.

Same. If we had a student that required a 1:1 and that person was unavailable for the day, either there was a replacement, or the student didn't attend class.

As you know, these agreements between the school and parent are generally legal documents that are produced with IDEA, FAPE, state law etc. as the guiding factors. The requirements, modifications, supports and accomodations written in these documents aren't whimsical (for lack of a better word). They list the necessary things the student needs on a daily basis to function throughout the day. They generally contain input from a team of interested parties and professionals.

Imho

 

[al66pine]

Father's Accountability?

So a dad is present in the child's life so why was only the mother charged? Two adults living at the same residence he should hold some accountability as well. IMHO.

@x_files
Was child living w mother AND FATHER?
Possibly. Also possible that I missed it in this article & other MSM.

"Present in the child's life" covers a wide range of possible involvement, from full-on down to practically nothing. imo

 

[realanastasia]

Its a garnish from the Commonwealth of VA, The Frangance Outlet, Suffork, VA is the employer. Dismissed 9/1/22 No funds
Moo

I brought up this entry in the court records simply to note that someone with this name seems to have been employed, at some point in recent years, by a business called "The Fragrance Outlet." I thought this might be useful information for folks trying to differentiate between the social media accounts/LinkedIn pages for Virginia-based women named Deja Nicole Taylor.

 

[x_files]

Dad being involved doesn’t necessarily mean they live at the same residence. They could have shared custody, for example. Unless I am missing something? IMO

No, I don't think any more info was released about the biological father yet.

 

[EmiliaRT007]

No, I don't think any more info was released about the biological father yet.

Would make sense. I don’t even think they released the mother’s name as they’re keeping the child anonymous.

 

[TLobo]

Would make sense. I don’t even think they released the mother’s name as they’re keeping the child anonymous.

Mother's name was released when she was indicted yesterday.

 

[EmiliaRT007]

Mother's name was released when she was indicted yesterday.

Oh, I didn’t know! Thanks!

 

[x_files]

Could the charges on only her be because the gun belonged to and was registered to her?

Makes some sense but what if she had it locked up and her husband, the father of the son left it out for the child to grab? I could see how this could get messy really quickly!
If there were older teens in the house also they could have unlocked it and left it out in the open.

 

[EmiliaRT007]

Makes some sense but what if she had it locked up and her husband, the father of the son left it out for the child to grab? I could see how this could get messy really quickly!
If there were older teens in the house also they could have unlocked it and left it out in the open.

Maybe. They clearly put it in his reach. There’s no way a six year old could get his hands on a gun that was well hidden.

 

[x_files]

Would make sense. I don’t even think they released the mother’s name as they’re keeping the child anonymous.

Her name was released just no mugshot yet.
I'm shocked her name was leaked months ago.

 

[Erutan]

Maybe. They clearly put it in his reach. There’s no way a six year old could get his hands on a gun that was well hidden.

Speculation : This child was massively failed by many people in his short life !
Exception was the teacher who did report it, and any other teacher or student who may have brought concerns to the school admin.
Now that the mother has been indicted, wondering what was happening in his home life, away from the school ?
Sometimes children 'act out' what they see, whether it be media content or worse, i.e., real life.
Imo.

 

[x_files]

Maybe. They clearly put it in his reach. There’s no way a six year old could get his hands on a gun that was well hidden.

Especially if he is indeed disabled as the parent's attorney claims. Kids are however resourceful and super clever, but a locked box should have helped.

 

[x_files]

Maybe. They clearly put it in his reach. There’s no way a six year old could get his hands on a gun that was well hidden.

Maybe someone in the house did it on purpose? Are their older teens or children in the house? I guess we will find out when this goes to trial.

 

[TLobo]

I have a bunch of little kids - the 7, 5, and 4 year olds are more than capable of pulling a chair over to climb up to access something that is supposed to be out of their reach. IIRC, the gun was supposedly kept on an upper shelf in a closet. Whether the child was looking for the gun specifically, or if he knew that was his mom's/parents' "hiding place" for things they didn't want him having, I don't think he'd have any trouble getting something down with a little help from a chair or something else to climb on. MOO.

Not trying to make excuses for a half-bottomed attempt to secure a firearm in a home with a child with (IMO) both discipline and behavior problems, but kids, man.

 

[EmiliaRT007]

I have a bunch of little kids - the 7, 5, and 4 year olds are more than capable of pulling a chair over to climb up to access something that is supposed to be out of their reach. IIRC, the gun was supposedly kept on an upper shelf in a closet. Whether the child was looking for the gun specifically, or if he knew that was his mom's/parents' "hiding place" for things they didn't want him having, I don't think he'd have any trouble getting something down with a little help from a chair or something else to climb on. MOO.

Not trying to make excuses for a half-bottomed attempt to secure a firearm in a home with a child with (IMO) both discipline and behavior problems, but kids, man.

Yup. Because it’s an obvious hiding place for EVERYTHING. The gun should be tucked away and locked up in a safe or something secure and not see through. Something durable so he can’t break it.

 

[EmiliaRT007]

Maybe someone in the house did it on purpose? Are their older teens or children in the house? I guess we will find out when this goes to trial.

Maybe. Maybe they just wanted the kid to get in trouble.