Mother Of 6-Year-Old Who Shot Teacher Indicted By Grand Jury

Deja Taylor, the mother of a 6-year-old boy accused of shooting his teacher at a Virginia elementary school earlier this year, will face two charges.

Newport News Commonwealth’s Attorney Howard Gwynn said Monday that a grand jury returned two indictments for Taylor, who faces a charge of felony child neglect and a misdemeanor count of recklessly leaving a firearm that endangered a child.

Newport News police Chief Steve Drew said Taylor legally purchased the gun that her son allegedly used.

“Every criminal case is unique in its facts, and these facts support these charges, but our investigation into the shooting continues,” Gwynn said in a statement.

Additional charges remain a possibility, he said.

Abby Zwerner, a first grade teacher at Richneck Elementary School, was shot in the chest and hand on Jan. 6, after the boy allegedly pulled a 9 mm handgun from his backpack and opened fire.

The 25-year-old teacher was seriously injured in the shooting. After an extensive hospital stay, she was able to return home.

Zwerner sued numerous former school administrators last month, accusing them of repeatedly ignoring warnings that the student was armed and “had a history of random violence.”

Shortly after the shooting, the parents of the student in question described themselves as responsible gun owners who kept their weapons safe.

“The firearm our son accessed was secured,” the parents told BuzzFeed News, saying their son has an “acute disability” that requires at least one of his parents to be in the classroom every day.

The shooting happened the first week neither parent was with the child, an absence they said they’ll regret “for the rest of our lives.”

Gwynn said last month the child will not face charges, noting that the “prospect that a 6-year-old can stand trial is problematic.”