Teacher shot by 6-year-old boy to sue school district in US state of Virginia

By Darren Lyn

HOUSTON, United States (AA) - The teacher shot by a 6-year-old student during class in the US state of Virginia will sue the school district, multiple news outlets reported on Wednesday.

Diane Toscano, the lawyer for Abigail Zwerner, 25, said on the day of the shooting, administrators were warned three times by teachers and employees that the boy had a gun on him and was threatening other students, “but the administration could not be bothered.”

The shooting happened on Jan. 6 as Zwerner taught class at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, which is about 70 miles (112 kilometers) southeast of Richmond, the state's capital.

School Superintendent George Parker III said at least one administrator was told on the day of the shooting that the boy might have had a weapon, but no weapon was found when his backpack was searched.

Newport News police said school officials did not tell them about that tip before the shooting, which happened hours later. 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, according to the Associated Press.

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

Police said the boy’s mother legally purchased the gun used in the shooting. The boy’s family said in a statement last week that the gun was “secured.”

The family’s attorney, James Ellenson, said his understanding was that the gun was in the woman’s closet on a shelf well over 6 feet (1.8 meters) high and had a trigger lock that required a key, according to the AP.

The family also said in its statement that the boy has an “acute disability” and was under a care plan “that included his mother or father attending school with him and accompanying him to class every day.”

The week of the shooting was the first time when a parent was not in class with him, the family said.