George Skelton
Thu, January 26, 2023
Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks to victims' families, local leaders and residents in Half Moon Bay, Calif., on Tuesday. (Aaron Kehoe / Associated Press)
Gov. Gavin Newsom has spoken more eloquently than anyone else about the three California mass shootings that occurred in rapid sequence, killing at least 24.
“What the hell is going on?” the longtime gun control advocate asked simply Tuesday in Half Moon Bay, where a 66-year-old farmworker was accused of fatally shooting seven co-workers and wounding another because of some grievance.
“Only in America. … The absurdity.”
Yes, America is certainly not great on gun deaths, and never will be as long as we’re blocked from much-needed national firearms regulations by Republicans.
Among the major industrialized nations, the United States has by far the highest gun homicide rate. No other country is anywhere close. That’s because other nations tightly restrict access to firearms.
America can’t do that because of the 2nd Amendment, but we could do a much better job nationally than we’re doing.
UCLA law professor Adam Winkler, who specializes in gun law, winces whenever politicians and pundits crow about California’s tough gun restrictions.
“We need to stop saying things like, ‘California has strict gun laws,’” he says. “That’s only in comparison to Texas and Mississippi. Compared to England, Japan and France, California has among the loosest firearms restrictions in the world. We don’t have incredibly strict gun laws.”
I’m not always a fan of Newsom’s rhetoric. It’s often overly emotional, awfully wordy and too repetitive. This is particularly true when he’s trying to enhance his national stature among Democrats by attacking conservative governors in Texas and Florida. I figure he has plenty to be angry about in his own state concerning problems that affect fellow Californians.
But on these shootings, he has had the right tone and length, especially in Half Moon Bay, a small coastal town just south of San Francisco. There he met with victims’ families, local leaders and reporters.
Newsom spoke of his frustration over mouthing “the same thing over and over and over” after each mass shooting. And aren’t we all tired of doing that?
“I have no ideological opposition to someone owning a gun responsibly, but what the hell is wrong with us that we allow these weapons of war and large-capacity clips out on the streets and sidewalks?” he asked. “Why have we allowed this culture, this pattern, to continue?”
Most of us keep asking that.
“Where’s the Republican Party been on gun safety reform?” the Democratic governor continued. “They’ve fought it every step of the way. … Shame on them.”
Where has the GOP been? Appeasing the relatively small gun-worshiping cult and becoming more hard right, in large part due to the gerrymandering of U.S. House districts.
Red state legislatures draw House district lines to make them safer for Republicans against Democrats. Then the biggest threat to GOP incumbents becomes other Republicans.
In a competitive party primary, gun enthusiasts are often the decisive swing voters. And they’re single-issue voters — people whose decisions on candidates solely depend on a politician’s stance on guns.
By contrast, most American voters — and certainly Californians — support national gun control, such as requiring universal background checks, banning assault weapons and limiting the capacity of ammunition magazines to 10 rounds. But gun control isn’t high on their priority list.
“It’s not on the top of people’s minds,” veteran Democratic consultant Bill Carrick says. “Inflation. Taxes. Boom. They’re on people’s minds all the time. The gun issue comes and goes as mass shootings come and go.”
California arguably has the nation’s strictest gun control laws, but they’re starting to be eroded by conservative courts, led by the U.S. Supreme Court. For example, California’s ban on high-capacity magazines is in litigation limbo.
And even with our surviving tough restrictions, they’re at the mercy of adjacent states — Nevada and Arizona — that have lax restrictions. Those neighbors are a great source of weapons for Californians who can’t arm themselves locally.
That’s why national regulations are needed — such as meaningful background checks and California Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s long-advocated assault weapons ban.
“The constant stream of mass shootings have one common thread: They almost all involve assault weapons,” Feinstein said in a statement while reintroducing her bill Monday. “It’s because these weapons were designed to kill as many people as quickly as possible. They have no business in our communities or schools.”
California was way ahead of the curve on assault weapon bans, passing its first in 1989 when Republican George Deukmejian was governor.
Deukmejian then was regarded as a mainstream conservative. Today he’d be seen by his party as a leftist.
Like a lot of people, I suspect, my first reaction upon hearing about the shooting rampage that killed 11 and wounded nine at a Monterey Park dance hall frequented by Asian Americans was that the culprit was a young male white supremacist. Wrong. It was a 72-year-old Asian American man.
So, there’s no common demographic or motive for these mass killers.
“The one common denominator is these damn guns,” Newsom said.
Yep.
Dr. Amy Barnhorst, a psychiatrist and associate director of the Violence Prevention Research Program at UC Davis, says of mass shooters: “We can’t solve all their problems. But we can stop these people from acting out by keeping them away from large-capacity weapons.”
That won’t happen, however, as long as a few heavily armed firearms lovers outgun the rest of us politically. The majority needs to use their most powerful weapon, the vote.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
After 3 Weeks and a Flood of Details, Va. School Shooting Grows More Unthinkable
Asher Lehrer-Small
Thu, January 26, 2023
It’s a tragedy that many observers have struggled to wrap their minds around: How could a 6-year-old access a loaded gun, bring it to school and fire it as his teacher? And how could school leaders ignore multiple warnings the little boy was armed?
In the weeks since the Jan. 6 shooting in Newport News, Virginia, which police almost immediately deemed intentional, new details continue to emerge, but with each revelation the incident becomes harder to understand.
That was especially true this week when the attorney for injured first-grade teacher Abigail Zwerner alleged the school failed to intervene despite at least three warnings that the student was carrying a gun. The school board on Wednesday night terminated the district’s contract with its superintendent and the 6-year-old’s mother, who legally purchased the weapon, still faces the possibility of criminal charges.
Zwerner, 25, suffered a gunshot wound as a bullet passed through her hand and into her chest, police say. Law enforcement officials have said there was an altercation between the boy and his teacher but gave no details; another boy in the class told The Washington Post that Zwerner was shot after she tried to confiscate the gun. While injured, she ushered more than 15 other children out of the room to safety, according to police. The wound initially left Zwerner critically injured, but she was released from the hospital Jan. 20. A bullet remains lodged in her body, her lawyer said.
With national attention trained on the shooting and its aftermath, we recap the twists and turns of the disturbing event that encompasses ongoing debates over guns, student mental health, teacher support and school safety.
New details, timeline of events
In the hours before the first-grader shot his teacher, school employees warned leaders at least three times that the student might be armed, including a shrugged-off request to search his pockets and a teary report from another child that the boy had shown him the gun at recess, Zwerner’s lawyer said in a Wednesday news conference.
The timeline attorney Diane Toscano laid out goes as follows:
Sometime between 11:15 and 11:30 a.m., Zwerner reported to a school administrator that the 6-year-old child had threatened to beat up a classmate. The administrator took no action to check in with or remove the child, Toscano said.
An hour later at 12:30 p.m., another teacher told an administrator she had searched the child’s backpack for a weapon and found nothing, but believed the 6-year-old had put the gun in his pocket before heading outside for recess. The administrator allegedly dismissed the threat, saying the boy “has little pockets.”
Soon after 1 p.m., a third teacher told the administration that a child had tearfully confessed that his classmate showed him the gun at recess and threatened to shoot him if he told anyone, Toscano said.
A fourth employee then asked school leaders for permission to search the boy, but was denied and received instructions to wait because the school day was almost over, according to Toscano.
The child shot Zwerner roughly an hour later, said Toscano.
Walkie talkies seen through a side door at Richneck Elementary School the day after the shooting. (Jay Paul/Getty Images)
Under federal law, school staff can search a student if they have “reasonable suspicion,” a lower bar than the probable cause required of police when searching civilians. Reports by two students to officials that a student possesses a gun at school can represent reasonable suspicion for a search, according to a 1990 court ruling.
Shortly before the Virginia teacher was shot, she sent a frustrated text message to a loved one saying one of her students was armed and her school administration was failing to act, NBC reported on Wednesday. The outlet did not reveal the identity of the person who received the text or its exact wording.
A spokesperson for Newport News Public Schools declined to comment and noted that the district’s investigation into the incident is still ongoing.
The shooter’s family, however, called the shooting “horrific” and on Wednesday released a statement through their lawyer, James Ellenson.
“On behalf of the family of the child, we continue to pray for Ms. Zwerner and wish her a complete and full recovery,” Ellenson said. “Our hearts go out to all involved.”
Legal ramifications
Zwerner plans to sue the school district, Toscano said on Wednesday, alleging that officials could have prevented the shooting but failed to act.
The events on Jan. 6 came after weeks or more of disturbing behavior from the student that school officials appear to have downplayed. A Richneck educator spoke anonymously with The Washington Post and said, on one occasion, the boy had written a note to a teacher saying he hated her and wanted to light her on fire and watch her burn to death, but the school administration told the alarmed teacher to drop the matter. The teacher did not specify the date of the incident.
On another occasion, according to the teacher, the boy threw furniture and other classroom items, forcing classmates to hide under their desks. He also, on a separate occasion, barricaded the doors to a classroom, trapping students and an educator inside until a teacher from across the hall forced the doors open from the outside. The boy’s identity appears to be known by several reporters who have interviewed educators and others who know him, but neither he nor his parents have been identified.
The 6-year-old has an “acute disability” and has been under an intensive care plan at his school, his family said in a Jan. 19 statement through their lawyer.
The family described an unusual arrangement with the school, saying his mother or father had been accompanying the boy in class each day to help manage his disability, and that the week of the shooting was the first time he had been in class without a parent.
“We will regret our absence on this day for the rest of our lives,” the family said.
The child is currently receiving treatment at a medical facility after police took him into custody and obtained a temporary detention order.
Virginia is one of 24 states in the U.S. with no minimum age for prosecution. Still, it is “incredibly unlikely” the 6-year-old would be charged with or convicted of a crime because children that young are considered incapable of forming criminal intent or being able to understand trial proceedings, University of Virginia legal professor Andrew Block told CNN.
The child’s parents, however, may be in legal jeopardy, juvenile justice experts in Virginia say, even though no one has so far been charged in the shooting.
The 9mm Taurus pistol used in the shooting was legally purchased by the boy’s mother, according to police. Ellenson, the family’s lawyer, said the mother stored it on the top shelf of her bedroom closet and that the weapon had a trigger lock. Virginia law prohibits leaving a loaded firearm anywhere it is accessible to children under 14, a crime punishable by misdemeanor.
“A 6-year-old cannot go to the store and buy a gun,” David Riedman, founder of the K-12 School Shooting Database, told The 74. “So if a 6-year-old shoots somebody at a school, it’s because whoever owned the gun failed to be a responsible gun owner.”
Newport News Mayor Phillip Jones, who took office Jan. 1, met with President Joe Biden in the days after the shooting at Richneck Elementary School.
What’s next
Newport News is a medium-sized oceanside city on the Chesapeake Bay home to the nation’s largest military shipbuilding company and several military bases. Roughly half of students who attend the school district are Black, about a quarter are white and the remaining share are Latino, Asian or mixed race. About half of all students qualify for free- or reduced-price lunch.
In the city that, until weeks ago, was best known for building submarines and supercarriers, many questions remain unanswered.
Steve Drew, the city’s police chief, said his team by Friday expects to finish their interviews of children who were in the classroom when the shooting happened, but did not specify when the investigation would be complete.
Investigative reporter Mark Keierleber contributed to this report.
Asher Lehrer-Small
Thu, January 26, 2023
It’s a tragedy that many observers have struggled to wrap their minds around: How could a 6-year-old access a loaded gun, bring it to school and fire it as his teacher? And how could school leaders ignore multiple warnings the little boy was armed?
In the weeks since the Jan. 6 shooting in Newport News, Virginia, which police almost immediately deemed intentional, new details continue to emerge, but with each revelation the incident becomes harder to understand.
That was especially true this week when the attorney for injured first-grade teacher Abigail Zwerner alleged the school failed to intervene despite at least three warnings that the student was carrying a gun. The school board on Wednesday night terminated the district’s contract with its superintendent and the 6-year-old’s mother, who legally purchased the weapon, still faces the possibility of criminal charges.
Zwerner, 25, suffered a gunshot wound as a bullet passed through her hand and into her chest, police say. Law enforcement officials have said there was an altercation between the boy and his teacher but gave no details; another boy in the class told The Washington Post that Zwerner was shot after she tried to confiscate the gun. While injured, she ushered more than 15 other children out of the room to safety, according to police. The wound initially left Zwerner critically injured, but she was released from the hospital Jan. 20. A bullet remains lodged in her body, her lawyer said.
With national attention trained on the shooting and its aftermath, we recap the twists and turns of the disturbing event that encompasses ongoing debates over guns, student mental health, teacher support and school safety.
New details, timeline of events
In the hours before the first-grader shot his teacher, school employees warned leaders at least three times that the student might be armed, including a shrugged-off request to search his pockets and a teary report from another child that the boy had shown him the gun at recess, Zwerner’s lawyer said in a Wednesday news conference.
The timeline attorney Diane Toscano laid out goes as follows:
Sometime between 11:15 and 11:30 a.m., Zwerner reported to a school administrator that the 6-year-old child had threatened to beat up a classmate. The administrator took no action to check in with or remove the child, Toscano said.
An hour later at 12:30 p.m., another teacher told an administrator she had searched the child’s backpack for a weapon and found nothing, but believed the 6-year-old had put the gun in his pocket before heading outside for recess. The administrator allegedly dismissed the threat, saying the boy “has little pockets.”
Soon after 1 p.m., a third teacher told the administration that a child had tearfully confessed that his classmate showed him the gun at recess and threatened to shoot him if he told anyone, Toscano said.
A fourth employee then asked school leaders for permission to search the boy, but was denied and received instructions to wait because the school day was almost over, according to Toscano.
The child shot Zwerner roughly an hour later, said Toscano.
Walkie talkies seen through a side door at Richneck Elementary School the day after the shooting. (Jay Paul/Getty Images)
Under federal law, school staff can search a student if they have “reasonable suspicion,” a lower bar than the probable cause required of police when searching civilians. Reports by two students to officials that a student possesses a gun at school can represent reasonable suspicion for a search, according to a 1990 court ruling.
Shortly before the Virginia teacher was shot, she sent a frustrated text message to a loved one saying one of her students was armed and her school administration was failing to act, NBC reported on Wednesday. The outlet did not reveal the identity of the person who received the text or its exact wording.
A spokesperson for Newport News Public Schools declined to comment and noted that the district’s investigation into the incident is still ongoing.
The shooter’s family, however, called the shooting “horrific” and on Wednesday released a statement through their lawyer, James Ellenson.
“On behalf of the family of the child, we continue to pray for Ms. Zwerner and wish her a complete and full recovery,” Ellenson said. “Our hearts go out to all involved.”
Legal ramifications
Zwerner plans to sue the school district, Toscano said on Wednesday, alleging that officials could have prevented the shooting but failed to act.
The events on Jan. 6 came after weeks or more of disturbing behavior from the student that school officials appear to have downplayed. A Richneck educator spoke anonymously with The Washington Post and said, on one occasion, the boy had written a note to a teacher saying he hated her and wanted to light her on fire and watch her burn to death, but the school administration told the alarmed teacher to drop the matter. The teacher did not specify the date of the incident.
On another occasion, according to the teacher, the boy threw furniture and other classroom items, forcing classmates to hide under their desks. He also, on a separate occasion, barricaded the doors to a classroom, trapping students and an educator inside until a teacher from across the hall forced the doors open from the outside. The boy’s identity appears to be known by several reporters who have interviewed educators and others who know him, but neither he nor his parents have been identified.
The 6-year-old has an “acute disability” and has been under an intensive care plan at his school, his family said in a Jan. 19 statement through their lawyer.
The family described an unusual arrangement with the school, saying his mother or father had been accompanying the boy in class each day to help manage his disability, and that the week of the shooting was the first time he had been in class without a parent.
“We will regret our absence on this day for the rest of our lives,” the family said.
The child is currently receiving treatment at a medical facility after police took him into custody and obtained a temporary detention order.
Virginia is one of 24 states in the U.S. with no minimum age for prosecution. Still, it is “incredibly unlikely” the 6-year-old would be charged with or convicted of a crime because children that young are considered incapable of forming criminal intent or being able to understand trial proceedings, University of Virginia legal professor Andrew Block told CNN.
The child’s parents, however, may be in legal jeopardy, juvenile justice experts in Virginia say, even though no one has so far been charged in the shooting.
The 9mm Taurus pistol used in the shooting was legally purchased by the boy’s mother, according to police. Ellenson, the family’s lawyer, said the mother stored it on the top shelf of her bedroom closet and that the weapon had a trigger lock. Virginia law prohibits leaving a loaded firearm anywhere it is accessible to children under 14, a crime punishable by misdemeanor.
“A 6-year-old cannot go to the store and buy a gun,” David Riedman, founder of the K-12 School Shooting Database, told The 74. “So if a 6-year-old shoots somebody at a school, it’s because whoever owned the gun failed to be a responsible gun owner.”
School policy changes
Facing mounting pressure from community members, the Newport News school board Wednesday night voted 5-1 in favor of terminating the contract with its superintendent, George Parker III, effective Feb. 1.
“We’re going to have to become a much more student-disciplined and safety-oriented board and division, and that is potentially going to require a lot of new direction,” board member Douglas Brown said.
At Richneck Elementary, the principal has left and the assistant principal resigned, according to local reports. Karen Lynch, a principal in the district for 17 years, is leading the school’s reopening, according to a message sent to community members.
Students will return to campus on Monday, Jan. 30. On Wednesday, the school invited students and families back for a non-instructional, two-hour transition period to get re-accustomed to the building.
The school’s website says it is providing sessions with school social workers or licensed therapists to affected students or families seeking emotional support. However, the listed number went to voicemail when called by The 74 Thursday, and staff offered no comment on when the soonest available appointments for families seeking the services would be.
Earlier in January, school board Chairman Lisa Surles-Law said the district would purchase 90 walk-through metal detectors, to go in all 45 schools within the roughly 26,600-student district. Richneck Elementary would be the first school in which the detectors would be installed.
The district did not respond to questions from The 74 asking whether the metal detectors would be in place for Monday’s reopening. The most recent shooting was the third instance of gun violence on Newport News Public Schools grounds in 17 months.
Facing mounting pressure from community members, the Newport News school board Wednesday night voted 5-1 in favor of terminating the contract with its superintendent, George Parker III, effective Feb. 1.
“We’re going to have to become a much more student-disciplined and safety-oriented board and division, and that is potentially going to require a lot of new direction,” board member Douglas Brown said.
At Richneck Elementary, the principal has left and the assistant principal resigned, according to local reports. Karen Lynch, a principal in the district for 17 years, is leading the school’s reopening, according to a message sent to community members.
Students will return to campus on Monday, Jan. 30. On Wednesday, the school invited students and families back for a non-instructional, two-hour transition period to get re-accustomed to the building.
The school’s website says it is providing sessions with school social workers or licensed therapists to affected students or families seeking emotional support. However, the listed number went to voicemail when called by The 74 Thursday, and staff offered no comment on when the soonest available appointments for families seeking the services would be.
Earlier in January, school board Chairman Lisa Surles-Law said the district would purchase 90 walk-through metal detectors, to go in all 45 schools within the roughly 26,600-student district. Richneck Elementary would be the first school in which the detectors would be installed.
The district did not respond to questions from The 74 asking whether the metal detectors would be in place for Monday’s reopening. The most recent shooting was the third instance of gun violence on Newport News Public Schools grounds in 17 months.
Newport News Mayor Phillip Jones, who took office Jan. 1, met with President Joe Biden in the days after the shooting at Richneck Elementary School.
(Mayor Phillip Jones/Twitter)
What’s next
Newport News is a medium-sized oceanside city on the Chesapeake Bay home to the nation’s largest military shipbuilding company and several military bases. Roughly half of students who attend the school district are Black, about a quarter are white and the remaining share are Latino, Asian or mixed race. About half of all students qualify for free- or reduced-price lunch.
In the city that, until weeks ago, was best known for building submarines and supercarriers, many questions remain unanswered.
Steve Drew, the city’s police chief, said his team by Friday expects to finish their interviews of children who were in the classroom when the shooting happened, but did not specify when the investigation would be complete.
Investigative reporter Mark Keierleber contributed to this report.
Teacher shot by 6-year-old says school was warned 4 times, announces lawsuit
BEATRICE PETERSON, MORGAN WINSOR and NADINE EL-BAWAB
Wed, January 25, 2023
Abigail Zwerner, the teacher who was shot by a student in a classroom in Newport News, Virginia, earlier this month intends to file a lawsuit against the school board, her lawyer said Wednesday, alleging the shooting could have been prevented by school administrators.
Zwerner sustained a gunshot wound to the chest when a 6-year-old student brought a gun into a classroom at Richneck Elementary School and intentionally shot and wounded her, according to police. A bullet remains lodged in her body, according to Diane Toscano, Zwerner's lawyer.
"This should have never happened. It was preventable and thank God Abby is alive. But had the school administrators acted in the interest of their teachers and their students, Abby would not have sustained a gunshot wound to the chest," Toscano said at a press conference Wednesday.
Toscano revealed new details about the events leading up to the shooting, alleging that school administration was warned that the student had a gun with him at school and had threatened people several times the day of the shooting, but school administrators took no action.
Toscano alleged that the administration was warned four times by teachers and school employees that the unnamed student "had a gun on him at the school and was threatening people."
Toscano laid out a timeline of events the day of the shooting:
At around 11:15 to 11:30 a.m., Zwerner went to a school administrator and told them that the 6-year-old had threatened to beat up another child that day. The administration did not take action or remove the student from the classroom, according to Toscano.
At 12:30 p.m. a teacher told a school administrator she searched the 6-year-old's backpack for a gun and told the administration that she believed the boy put the gun in his pocket before going outside for recess. The administrator downplayed the report and responded that the boy has little pockets, according to Toscano.
Shortly after 1 p.m., a third teacher told administrators that another student who was scared and crying confessed that the shooter showed him a gun at recess and threatened to shoot him if he told anyone, according to Toscano.
A fourth employee asked the administrator for permission to search the boy but was denied and was told to wait the situation out because the school day was almost over, according to Toscano.
Zwerner was shot almost an hour later, according to Toscano.
She is now home recovering, "but the road to recovery will be long," Toscano said.
Messages of support for teacher Abby Zwerner, who was shot by a 6 year old student, grace the front door of Richneck Elementary School, Jan. 9, 2023, in Newport News, Va.
There was no physical struggle or fight, according to police.
After Zwerner was shot, she ushered all of her students out of the classroom. She was the last person to leave the room, police said.
About 16 to 20 students were in the classroom at the time of the shooting and none of them were physically injured, according to police.
Police said responding officers found a school employee physically restraining the 6-year-old suspect in the classroom. The boy allegedly hit the school employee before officers took him into custody. He was subsequently taken to a local hospital for evaluation, police said.
Since then, a temporary detention order has been obtained and the child is currently receiving treatment at a medical facility, according to police.
Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew has called Zwerner a "hero" who "saved lives." He told reporters that the teacher has repeatedly asked how her students are doing.
Zwerner was released from Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News last week and will continue to receive outpatient treatment, according to Riverside Health System.
During a town hall meeting with parents earlier this month, Parker said the student's backpack was searched at school the morning of Jan. 6, after someone reported he may have had a weapon. The person who searched the backpack didn't find a weapon, according to the superintendent. It was unclear who conducted the search or how the tip about the weapon was received.
When asked for comment, a police spokesperson told ABC News: "We have determined through our investigation that a school employee was notified of a possible firearm at Richneck Elementary before the shooting occurred. The Newport News Police Department was not notified of this information prior to the incident. I cannot release any further information at this time because of the ongoing investigation."
A sign wishing students a 'Happy New Year' is seen outside Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, on Jan. 7, 2023. (Jay Paul/Getty Images)
Earlier this month, Newport News School Board Chair Lisa Surles-Law said they have been given approval to purchase 90 walk-through metal detectors, which will be installed in every school across the district, starting with Richneck Elementary School. The district will also bolster protocols on handling school violence, including implementing a safety stand down and reviewing student conduct and discipline records, according to Surles-Law.
The unnamed family of the boy released a statement last week, saying the "firearm our son accessed was secured" and that he "suffers from an acute disability and was under a care plan at the school 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 week when we were not in class with him. We will regret our absence on this day for the rest of our lives," the family said. "Since this incident, our son has been under hospital care and receiving the treatment he needs."
The boy's family called the shooting "horrific" and noted that they "have been cooperating with local and federal law enforcement to understand how this could have happened."
"Our heart goes out to our son's teacher and we pray for her healing in the aftermath of such an unimaginable tragedy as she selflessly served our son and the children in the school," they added. "She has worked diligently and compassionately to support our family as we sought the best education and learning environment for our son. We thank her for her courage, grace and sacrifice."
ABC News' Meredith Deliso, Caroline Guthrie, Davone Morales, Emily Shapiro and Ben Siu contributed to this report.
Teacher shot by 6-year-old says school was warned 4 times, announces lawsuit originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
BEATRICE PETERSON, MORGAN WINSOR and NADINE EL-BAWAB
Wed, January 25, 2023
Abigail Zwerner, the teacher who was shot by a student in a classroom in Newport News, Virginia, earlier this month intends to file a lawsuit against the school board, her lawyer said Wednesday, alleging the shooting could have been prevented by school administrators.
Zwerner sustained a gunshot wound to the chest when a 6-year-old student brought a gun into a classroom at Richneck Elementary School and intentionally shot and wounded her, according to police. A bullet remains lodged in her body, according to Diane Toscano, Zwerner's lawyer.
"This should have never happened. It was preventable and thank God Abby is alive. But had the school administrators acted in the interest of their teachers and their students, Abby would not have sustained a gunshot wound to the chest," Toscano said at a press conference Wednesday.
Toscano revealed new details about the events leading up to the shooting, alleging that school administration was warned that the student had a gun with him at school and had threatened people several times the day of the shooting, but school administrators took no action.
Toscano alleged that the administration was warned four times by teachers and school employees that the unnamed student "had a gun on him at the school and was threatening people."
MORE: Virginia school shooting: 6-year-old brought gun in backpack, fired during instruction
Toscano laid out a timeline of events the day of the shooting:
At around 11:15 to 11:30 a.m., Zwerner went to a school administrator and told them that the 6-year-old had threatened to beat up another child that day. The administration did not take action or remove the student from the classroom, according to Toscano.
At 12:30 p.m. a teacher told a school administrator she searched the 6-year-old's backpack for a gun and told the administration that she believed the boy put the gun in his pocket before going outside for recess. The administrator downplayed the report and responded that the boy has little pockets, according to Toscano.
Shortly after 1 p.m., a third teacher told administrators that another student who was scared and crying confessed that the shooter showed him a gun at recess and threatened to shoot him if he told anyone, according to Toscano.
A fourth employee asked the administrator for permission to search the boy but was denied and was told to wait the situation out because the school day was almost over, according to Toscano.
Zwerner was shot almost an hour later, according to Toscano.
She is now home recovering, "but the road to recovery will be long," Toscano said.
Messages of support for teacher Abby Zwerner, who was shot by a 6 year old student, grace the front door of Richneck Elementary School, Jan. 9, 2023, in Newport News, Va.
(John C. Clark/AP)
The press conference came hours before the Virginia public school system is set to decide the fate of its superintendent.
The Newport News School Board has called a special meeting for Wednesday at 6 p.m. ET to vote on a separation agreement with Newport News Public Schools Superintendent George Parker III and the appointment of an interim superintendent.
Parker has been under fire from teachers, parents and community members since the shooting. The boy, who has not been named publicly, allegedly took a handgun from his home, put it in his backpack and brought it to school that day before shooting his teacher in an "intentional" act, according to the Newport News Police Department.
Police said Zwerner was giving class instruction that afternoon when the student pointed the gun at her and fired one round. The teacher took a defensive position, raising her hand. The bullet went through her hand and into her chest, police said.
The press conference came hours before the Virginia public school system is set to decide the fate of its superintendent.
The Newport News School Board has called a special meeting for Wednesday at 6 p.m. ET to vote on a separation agreement with Newport News Public Schools Superintendent George Parker III and the appointment of an interim superintendent.
Parker has been under fire from teachers, parents and community members since the shooting. The boy, who has not been named publicly, allegedly took a handgun from his home, put it in his backpack and brought it to school that day before shooting his teacher in an "intentional" act, according to the Newport News Police Department.
Police said Zwerner was giving class instruction that afternoon when the student pointed the gun at her and fired one round. The teacher took a defensive position, raising her hand. The bullet went through her hand and into her chest, police said.
MORE: Teacher injured in shooting at Virginia elementary school, 6-year-old suspect in custody: Police
There was no physical struggle or fight, according to police.
After Zwerner was shot, she ushered all of her students out of the classroom. She was the last person to leave the room, police said.
About 16 to 20 students were in the classroom at the time of the shooting and none of them were physically injured, according to police.
Police said responding officers found a school employee physically restraining the 6-year-old suspect in the classroom. The boy allegedly hit the school employee before officers took him into custody. He was subsequently taken to a local hospital for evaluation, police said.
Since then, a temporary detention order has been obtained and the child is currently receiving treatment at a medical facility, according to police.
Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew has called Zwerner a "hero" who "saved lives." He told reporters that the teacher has repeatedly asked how her students are doing.
Zwerner was released from Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News last week and will continue to receive outpatient treatment, according to Riverside Health System.
Residents of Newport News hold a candlelight vigil in honor of Richneck Elementary School first-grade teacher Abby Zwerner at the School Administration Building in Newport News, Va., Monday, Jan. 9, 2023. (John C. Clark/AP, FILE)
Police said the investigation into the Jan. 6 incident, including a motive, is ongoing and no one has been charged so far. Richneck Elementary School has remained closed in the meantime.
The 9 mm Taurus pistol used in the shooting was legally purchased by the boy's mother, according to police.
Police said the investigation into the Jan. 6 incident, including a motive, is ongoing and no one has been charged so far. Richneck Elementary School has remained closed in the meantime.
The 9 mm Taurus pistol used in the shooting was legally purchased by the boy's mother, according to police.
MORE: 6-year-old's backpack was searched the day of shooting that injured a teacher, school district says
During a town hall meeting with parents earlier this month, Parker said the student's backpack was searched at school the morning of Jan. 6, after someone reported he may have had a weapon. The person who searched the backpack didn't find a weapon, according to the superintendent. It was unclear who conducted the search or how the tip about the weapon was received.
When asked for comment, a police spokesperson told ABC News: "We have determined through our investigation that a school employee was notified of a possible firearm at Richneck Elementary before the shooting occurred. The Newport News Police Department was not notified of this information prior to the incident. I cannot release any further information at this time because of the ongoing investigation."
A sign wishing students a 'Happy New Year' is seen outside Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, on Jan. 7, 2023. (Jay Paul/Getty Images)
Earlier this month, Newport News School Board Chair Lisa Surles-Law said they have been given approval to purchase 90 walk-through metal detectors, which will be installed in every school across the district, starting with Richneck Elementary School. The district will also bolster protocols on handling school violence, including implementing a safety stand down and reviewing student conduct and discipline records, according to Surles-Law.
The unnamed family of the boy released a statement last week, saying the "firearm our son accessed was secured" and that he "suffers from an acute disability and was under a care plan at the school 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 week when we were not in class with him. We will regret our absence on this day for the rest of our lives," the family said. "Since this incident, our son has been under hospital care and receiving the treatment he needs."
The boy's family called the shooting "horrific" and noted that they "have been cooperating with local and federal law enforcement to understand how this could have happened."
"Our heart goes out to our son's teacher and we pray for her healing in the aftermath of such an unimaginable tragedy as she selflessly served our son and the children in the school," they added. "She has worked diligently and compassionately to support our family as we sought the best education and learning environment for our son. We thank her for her courage, grace and sacrifice."
ABC News' Meredith Deliso, Caroline Guthrie, Davone Morales, Emily Shapiro and Ben Siu contributed to this report.
Teacher shot by 6-year-old says school was warned 4 times, announces lawsuit originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
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