A Newport News city prosecutor said there will be no charges filed against a 6-year-old boy who shot his elementary school teacher during class in January.
The Richneck Elementary School on Jan. 6 went into lockdown after a first-grade teacher was shot in the hand and the chest.
The teacher was later identified as Abby Zwerner, who said through an attorney that the district had ignored numerous warnings about the student possessing a gun the day of the shooting.
On Wednesday, Newport News Commonwealth’s Attorney Howard Gwynn told ABC News that it would be “problematic” for the student to stand trial since a child of that age would not be competent enough to understand the trial proceedings.
He went on to imply that the parents of the child might still face charges.
“Our objective is not just to do something as quickly as possible,” Gwynn said. “Once we analyze all the facts, we will charge any person or persons that we believe we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt committed a crime.”
The family claimed in a statement that the gun used in the shooting had been registered to the boy’s mother. They indicated that the gun was kept secure and that they did not know how the child obtained possession of the weapon.
The family also said that the boy suffered from an “acute disability” and was under a care plan with the school that involved either his mother or father attending the school with him.
“We will regret our absence on this day for the rest of our lives,” they said.
Zwerner is planning to sue the school district over the three warnings her attorney claims the school ignored. One of the warnings came from Zwerner herself when she told the administration that the student had threatened another student at the school, but officials did nothing.
“They didn’t call security, they didn’t remove the student from the classroom, the school administration failed to act,” said her attorney Diane Toscano in January.
The Virginia state Senate passed a resolution honoring Zwerner a month after the shooting.
Here’s more about the teacher shooting:
VA Senate passes resolution dedicated to Newport News teacher shot by studentwww.youtube.com
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