Richmond, Va. — The Virginia instructor who authorities say was shot by a 6-year-old pupil is called a hard-working educator who’s dedicated to her college students and enthusiastic concerning the career that runs in her household, in keeping with fellow lecturers and metropolis officers.
John Eley III, a former member of the Newport News School Board, recognized the first-grade instructor as Abby Zwerner, 25. Zwerner was shot Friday at Richneck Elementary School, authorities stated.
Shortly after the capturing, police stated Zwerner had life-threatening accidents, however was listed in secure situation, in keeping with an announcement issued Saturday by George Parker III, the Newport News Schools superintendent.
Eley and different metropolis officers met with lecturers and the principal on the faculty Friday and later went to the hospital, the place they met with members of Zwerner’s household, together with a number of aunts who are also lecturers.
“The family was all educators and said she was excited about doing the job,” stated Eley, who was just lately elected to the Newport News City Council.
“The custodians and other teachers spoke about how she’s a good teammate, she’s a team player, she loves her children, she’s just an all-around good teacher.”
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Cindy Hurst stated her granddaughter, 8, remains to be rattled by the capturing. She was in Zwerner’s class final 12 months, and instructed her grandmother she is a good instructor.
“I just hate that this happened,” Hurst instructed The Virginian-Pilot. “But life as we know it may not ever be the same – I don’t know.”
At a rally Sunday of supporters of measures to curb gun violence, Lawonda Sample-Rusk, a grandparent of two kids on the faculty, instructed CBS Norfolk, Va. affiliate WTKR-TV she was on the faculty the day of the capturing and jumped into motion when Zwerner was shot.
“She said I’m shot, I’m shot. Call 911,” stated Rusk stated. “We only thought it was somewhere on her hand, but after looking further she passed out on the floor, and then after looking further it was another gunshot wound.”
Rusk stated whereas she did not carry out CPR, she did apply stress to Zwerner’s wounds. This all occurred within the faculty workplace earlier than first responders had been capable of get to Zwerner.
“I didn’t know what to do, I’m not a medic. I didn’t know what to do. Just instinct,” stated Rusk.
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Zwerner attended James Madison University, graduating in 2019 with a bachelor’s diploma in Interdisciplinary Liberal Studies and minors in Elementary Education and Music. She graduated from JMU’s College of Education in 2020 with a grasp’s diploma in Education.
JMU President Jonathan Alger provided a message of assist for Zwerner, her household, buddies and fellow lecturers, college students and their households.
“JMU is prepared to support those impacted by this incident now and in the weeks to come,” Alger tweeted Saturday.
Police Chief Steve Drew stated the boy shot and wounded the instructor with a handgun in a first-grade classroom. He was later taken into police custody. Drew stated the capturing was not unintended and was a part of an altercation. No college students had been injured.
Police have declined to explain what led to the altercation or some other particulars about what occurred within the classroom, citing the continuing investigation. They have additionally declined to say how the boy received entry to the gun or who owns the weapon.
One mother or father of a kid within the faculty reacted angrily when interviewed by WTKR, saying, “You’ve got a beautiful country. You’ve got beautiful people. But what’s the problem? Guns. How does a seven-year-old have a gun? That’s what (angers me). I’m only here because my husband’s in the military. Otherwise, I would not have chosen to come to this country.”
Virginia legislation does not enable 6-year-olds to be tried as adults. In addition, a 6-year-old is just too younger to be dedicated to the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice if discovered responsible.
A juvenile decide would have authority, although, to revoke a mother or father’s custody and place a toddler below the purview of the Department of Social Services.
“It’s really shocking. You just don’t see this happen in the legal system where you’ve got someone so young intentionally using a firearm against another person,” stated Todd Stone, a authorized analyst for CBS Richmond, Va. affiliate WTVR, stated the kid’s mother and father might be charged however the worst cost they might face could be a misdemeanor.
“The parents could be charged with a misdemeanor, which would be the maximum of 12 months in jail, and realistically, it’s very fact-dependent,” Stone stated.
Mayor Phillip Jones would not say the place the boy is being held.
“We are ensuring he has all the services that he currently needs right now,” Jones stated Saturday.
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Experts who examine gun violence stated the capturing represents a particularly uncommon prevalence of a younger little one bringing a gun into faculty and wounding a instructor.
“It’s very rare and it’s not something the legal system is really designed or positioned to deal with,” stated researcher David Riedman, founding father of a database that tracks U.S. faculty shootings courting again to 1970.
He stated Saturday that he is solely conscious of three different shootings brought on by 6-year-old college students within the time interval he is studied. Those embody the deadly capturing of a fellow pupil in 2000 in Michigan and shootings that injured different college students in 2011 in Texas and 2021 in Mississippi.
Riedman stated he solely is aware of of 1 different occasion of a pupil youthful than that inflicting gunfire at a college, by which a 5-year-old pupil introduced a gun to a Tennessee faculty in 2013 and by chance discharged it. No one was injured in that case.
Newport News is a metropolis of about 185,000 folks in southeastern Virginia recognized for its shipyard, which builds the nation’s plane carriers and different U.S. Navy vessels.
Richneck has about 550 college students in kindergarten via fifth grade, in keeping with the Virginia Department of Education’s web site. Jones stated there will probably be no lessons on the faculty Monday and Tuesday.