New details have emerged concerning the Richneck Elementary School’s Jan. 6 incident, where a 6-year-old student shot his first-grade teacher, Abby Zwerner. The attorney for the wounded teacher revealed at a press conference that faculty, including Zwerner, warned the school’s administrators multiple times about the child being armed, but no actions were taken.
The conference took place Wednesday morning.
Diane Toscano of Toscano Law Group, Zwerner’s attorney, disclosed that teachers and school employees attempted to warn school administrators about the unidentified child being armed, yet no preventative action occurred.
“See, Abby and these other teachers at Richneck Elementary School tried to do the right thing on January 6, the day of the shooting,” Toscano told reporters. “On that day, over the course of a few hours, three different times…three times school administration was warned by concerned teachers and employees that the boy had a gun on him at the school and was threatening people.”
She added, “But the administration could not be bothered.”
According to Toscano, the first warning came at around 11:15 to 11:30 a.m. Zwerner followed protocol and reported to the administration that the 6-year-old threatened to beat up another child.
“But the administration could not be bothered,” Toscano said, adding that the administration “failed to act.”
Around 12:30, another instructor went to the same administrator to report that the child’s backpack was searched, and he was suspected of placing the gun in his pocket before going to recess.
Toscano said the administrator downplayed the teacher’s report saying, “Well, he has little pockets.”
The third report came around 1 p.m. from a different teacher who reported that another boy was “crying and fearful” after the perpetrator showed him the gun at recess and threatened to shoot him if he told anyone.
“Did administrators call the police? No,” Toscano said. “Did administrators lock down the school? No. Did the administrators evacuate the building? No. Did they confront the student? No.”
A fourth teacher heard about the danger and requested permission from the administrator to search the child but was denied.
“He was told to wait the situation out because the school day was almost over,” the attorney said.
Nearly an hour later, Zwerner was shot by the 6-year-old in front of the other students in the classroom amid teaching. Zwerner managed to evacuate the classroom, and another teacher restrained the shooter.
Toscano said she sent a notice to the Newport News School Board stating she intended to file a lawsuit on Zwerner’s behalf.
According to CBS, the school board voted 5-1 on Wednesday night to remove district superintendent George Parker III from his position, which will enact on Feb. 1. Parker being fired is a part of a separation agreement, which includes paying Parker $502,000 in severance—two years of his current $251,000 base salary.
Zwerner was hospitalized for her life-threatening injuries. She was discharged from the hospital on Jan. 19 and is home recovering. Toscano said that Zwerner still has the bullet in her body and will undergo surgery and physical therapy.
The family of the 6-year-old said he has an “acute disability” and stated that the gun was “secured.”
