On January 6, 2023, all it took was a 6-year-old boy climbing onto his mother’s dresser to find what no one was supposed to find. He took a 9 mm Taurus pistol from her purse, put it in his backpack, and went to class.
At Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, he pulled the gun from a pocket in his jacket during reading class. He fired once, from about 3 meters away, at his teacher, Abby Zwerner. The bullet went through her hand and chest. There were 16 children in the classroom.
The officers’ body cameras recorded what happened next. Specialist Amy Kovac held him in a firm embrace while he insulted her. He yelled at the officers to come get him, saying he didn’t care if they called for backup or if he ended up in jail. He said he had stolen the gun from his mother. According to Kovac’s testimony, he also hit her in the face and knocked her glasses to the floor.
The gun was lying about 5 meters away from him. Kovac told the officers it was his first week without his mother accompanying him in the classroom and that he already had a reduced schedule. She also said she had warned the assistant principal about a previous threat.
Abby Zwerner received 10 million dollars after a civil trial against former assistant principal Ebony Parker. The boy’s mother, Deja Taylor, served time in prison and was released in February. Today, the boy is between 9 and 10 years old and lives in the custody of his great-grandfather.
