VA- 6-YEAR-OLD is in custody after shooting teacher

[Hexe]

Teacher shot by 6-year-old texted a dire warning to a loved one before she was wounded, source says

The text “showed her frustration,” the source said. “She was frustrated because she was trying to get help with this child, for this child, and then when she needed help, no one was coming.”

www.nbcnews.com

‘It was preventable’: Lawyer for Newport News teacher shot by 6-year-old announces lawsuit

The lawyer for the Newport News first-grade teacher shot by her student on Jan. 6 announced Wednesday that she will be filing a lawsuit against Newport News Public Schools.

www.wavy.com

Updates:

• Lawyer says Abby is home and is getting better every day
• She says school administration were told three times by staff members that the boy had a gun on him at the school that day
• Abby went to school administrator that the 6-year-old threatened to beat up another student that same day
• Around 12:30 p.m., another teacher told administration that she searched the boys backpack and told them she thought the boy put the gun in his pocket
• A fourth teacher asked if he could search the 6-year-old’s backpack and he was denied
• Administrators told that teacher “well he has little pockets”
• Another teacher told administrators that a boy was crying because the 6-year-old showed the gun to the boy and said that he would shoot him if he told anyone

Wow. Just wow. I am speechless. So this kid was running around the school with a gun, scaring other kids, threatening them, teachers basically queued to the administration office to tell them there is a gun in the building and the administrators refused to to anything about it.
Wow.
Just wow.

 

[Simply Southern]

WOW FOUR teachers reported. A child saw the gun. An employee ask to search the child and was told by an administrator ....NO, the school day is almost over.

AZ had several surgeries and still has a bullet lodged dangerous close....I could get where.


I'm more scared than ever for my grandkids. About to have a panic attack.
Moo....

 

[shotgun09]

I finally was able to watch the rewind of AZ's attorney presser. I am gobsmacked. The school failed to act 4 times!!!??? What????
No words!

 

[shotgun09]

The excuse about the 'size of his little pockets' just about did me in...

 

[fred&edna]

Why was this child protected by school administrators?? It's almost as if the child was treated as the "victim" over and over when there were clear indications and warnings he was a threat.

 

[shotgun09]

What isn't or hasn't been made entirely clear ( to me ) , is how many different school admins were notified....being that they had 4 warnings in 2 hrs. Was there just one, or many who just couldn't be bothered? The poor classmate who was threatened! And then witnessed his/her teacher get shot.

Poor Abby

 

[fred&edna]

What isn't or hasn't been made entirely clear ( to me ) , is how many different school admins were notified....being that they had 4 warnings in 2 hrs. Was there just one, or many who just couldn't be bothered? The poor classmate who was threatened! And then witnessed his/her teacher get shot.

Poor Abby

Again, I'm hoping all those responsible will be identified to the public.

 

[Simply Southern]

<modsnip - quoted post removed>

Yea, firing the superintendent and metal detectors can't fix this.

If they ignore teachers repeatedly, NO way I'd trust them ever again.

Yes, they should be named, but won't be due to confidentially laws. I would hate to see these administrators ever work another fay eith children EVER!!!!

MOO...

 

[sds71]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1618297580668211201

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Link for AZ attorney presser within report. Worthwhile viewing.

‘It was preventable’: Lawyer for Newport News teacher shot by 6-year-old announces lawsuit

The lawyer for the Newport News first-grade teacher shot by her student on Jan. 6 announced Wednesday that she will be filing a lawsuit against Newport News Public Schools.

www.wric.com

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) – The lawyer for the Newport News first-grade teacher shot by her student on Jan. 6 announced Wednesday that she will be filing a lawsuit against Newport News Public Schools.

During a press conference Wednesday, Virginia trial lawyer Diane Toscano stated that she sent a notice to the Newport News School Board of the intent to file a lawsuit on Abby Zwerner’s behalf.

Toscano says she communicates with Abby daily and that Abby is at home recovering and is gaining strength every day...

 

[fred&edna]

According to Zwerner's attorney the events began at approximately 11:15/11:30. I know the child was reportedly late for school that day, does anyone know what time he arrived? I wonder how long he was on school grounds before this all began?

 

[ilovewings]

Wow. Just wow. I am speechless. So this kid was running around the school with a gun, scaring other kids, threatening them, teachers basically queued to the administration office to tell them there is a gun in the building and the administrators refused to to anything about it.
Wow.
Just wow.

I was just coming to post this- wow just wow is right--- unbelievable

 

[shotgun09]

According to Zwerner's attorney the events began at approximately 11:15/11:30. I know the child was reportedly late for school that day, does anyone know what time he arrived? I wonder how long he was on school grounds before this all began?

I do remember earlier press conferences, by either LE or the Sup, that said the boy arrived at school "late' that day, at appox 11:30. So adding today's news, it would appear that the boy began his day at school with threatening behaviors.

 

[YepperBepper]

Yea, firing the superintendent and metal detectors can't fix this.

If they ignore teachers repeatedly, NO way I'd trust them ever again.

Yes, they should be named, but won't be due to confidentially laws. I would hate to see these administrators ever work another fay eith children EVER!!!!

MOO...

Exactly. Firing people, etc is essentially surface cleaning. Hiring new people and keeping the same policies changes nothing. If the district maintains the restorative justice policy, teachers will continue to be forced to have violent children in the classroom so, as the spokeswoman for the district pointed out, ALL students will be "citizen-ready". So, as long as this policy remains, the danger is there. That this teacher was shot only highlights the other issues that were occurring in the classroom with this student. Throwing furniture. Making threats. Barricading students and a teacher in the classroom. I would contend that this student is one of many that have similar issues. When staff was polled last year (AP Link above), more than 40 percent were not happy with the discipline policy. This policy is certainly not good for other students, as it puts them in danger. I'm really unsure how it's at all helpful for the student with issues? If there are no consequences for the situations involving him that I mentioned above, and there are no boundaries at all, how does he, or any other student learn that these things aren't acceptable? Who are we helping here? Is there any statistical evidence that these policies work...or are we just winging it? Imho

I get the concept. Stop the school to prison pipeline. But it's clear that is being done at the feet if normalcy and safety of everyone else involved. Smh. Imho

 

[iamshadow21]

I can't believe more people weren't injured or killed. This was just unspeakably dangerous.

 

[shotgun09]

I can't believe more people weren't injured or killed. This was just unspeakably dangerous.

Exactly!! Every student and every employee of that school were at risk! WHY ??????

 

[chipwhitley]

I can't believe more people weren't injured or killed. This was just unspeakably dangerous.

This could have potentially been a mass school shooting with the youngest (?) shooter ever.

 

[Erutan]

Teacher by student, 6, 'texted loved one an HOUR before she was shot'

Abbey Zwerner, 25, had just finished reading a story when the child pulled out the handgun and shot her in the chest at Richneck Elementary School in Newport New s on January 6.

www.dailymail.co.uk

• Abbey Zwerner, 25, had finished reading a story when the child pulled out the handgun and shot her in the chest at at Richneck Elementary School on Jan 6
• Zwerner texted a loved one an hour before the shooting showing she was 'frustrated because she was trying to get help with this child,' a source said

• Zwerner's lawyer announced a lawsuit Wednesday, alleging that school chiefs were warned three times by staff that the boy had a gun on him that day.

"....Another teacher had also warned that the six-year-old had left a boy sobbing after showing him the gun - and threatening to shoot him if he told anyone ..."
"...Administrators are alleged to have responded: 'Well he has little pockets'..."
emphasis mine.

Wait, what ???
The article does say alleged.

I want to know what was actually said; and if this is an accurate quote, the school administration has some explaining to do ; in my opinion.

I do not think this lawsuit is without merit at all !
There were warnings, and AZ's shooting was preventable.
What a cluster.
M00.

 

[lcookster]

Not attempting to diagnose, but kids with oppositional/defiant disorder are also very angry, disruptive and frequently violent. No idea bout this child but there are times when the situation is extremely difficult to manage. But we have no idea what is going on with the six year old. I feel sorry for him too in all honesty. He needs the right help. **HAVING WRITTEN THAT HOWEVER, I can't believe there are not policies in place about protocol regarding a student and a weapon at school. Now we understand the stone-walling and evasiveness coming from administration about what happened. Unbelievable. I do not blame this teacher for one minute for initiating a lawsuit. Unfortunately, that can be the only way to get someone's attention and to enforce change. Those poor teachers must have been so angry and frustrated. Very condescending response to teacher's concerns. More than one administrative head should roll, imo.

 

[Ontario Mom]

In the statement the attorney for the family put out, it said the child has an acute disability.

Some thought that was a mistake and should have said "chronic" instead of acute, but I have to wonder if it really did mean to read that way. An acute disability means something fairly recently happened to this child to affect his behavior and so my first thought was, some kind of accident or injury that resulted in severe brain trauma which certainly could have caused him to become severely aggressive and violent.

Again, completely speculating.