Earlier this year, there was a disturbing story from Newport News, Virginia, where a boy, 6, intentionally shot his teacher. He was able to gain possession of his family’s firearm, bring it to school, and execute this attack. The teacher, Abby Zwerner, survived the shooting.
The incident led to numerous stories about how this child was a menace, accompanied by either his mother or father during classes because his behavior was out of control. There was no chaperone on the day Zwerner was shot, which was in January. Eventually, the boy’s mother, Deja Taylor, was the target of the investigation, being charged with child neglect and gun charges over the summer (via NBC News):
The mother of a 6-year-old who took a gun to his Virginia school and shot his teacher this year was charged Monday with federal gun crimes.
Deja Taylor, 25, was charged with two counts in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Virginia: being an unlawful user of a controlled substance in possession of a firearm and making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm.
She was previously indicted in April by a Newport News grand jury on charges of felony child neglect and a misdemeanor count of recklessly leaving a loaded firearm so as to endanger a child, Newport News Commonwealth’s Attorney Howard Gwynn said.
Taylor has apologized to the teacher and said she was responsible for her son’s access to the handgun, though she maintains she’s not clear exactly how he obtained it. A trial is scheduled for Aug. 15.
Taylor's attorney, James Ellenson, said Monday that Taylor would plead guilty to the federal charges in an agreement with prosecutors.
Terms of the deal are likely to be disclosed within the next two weeks, when Taylor enters a plea, he said.
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And now, we’ve learned the sentence: 21 months (via Washington Post):
The mother of a then-6-year-old boy who shot a teacher at the city’s Richneck Elementary School in January was sentenced to 21 months in prison Wednesday on federal convictions related to the weapon used in the shooting.
Deja Taylor, 26, of Newport News, pleaded guilty in federal court here in June to one count of possessing a firearm while being a drug user and one count of lying on a background check about her marijuana use while purchasing the handgun that her son used to open fire on first-grade teacher Abigail Zwerner.
Taylor wiped away tears as U.S. District Court Judge Mark S. Davis handed down her sentence.
“There were too many off-ramps here,” Davis told her. “This was not a one-off. There was a really troubling history leading up to this incident.”
The shooting seized national attention because of the shooter’s young age and stirred outrage in Newport News, where many questioned whether administrators at the school had done enough to prevent the incident. It also led the school district to part ways with its superintendent.
Taylor’s son also admitted to the crime, boasting how he shot Zwerner.
“I shot that b**ch dead,” he said based on court documents (via Associated Press):
In the moments after a 6-year-old shot his teacher in a Virginia classroom last January, the boy made statements including “I shot that (expletive) dead,” and “I did it. I got my mom’s gun last night,” according to recently unsealed police search warrants.
The new court documents in the city of Newport News offer fresh details regarding a shooting that critically wounded a first-grade teacher and shocked the nation.
The teacher, Abby Zwerner, survived despite being shot in the hand and chest and is suing the Newport News Public Schools for $40 million. The 6-year-old’s mother, Deja Taylor, was charged with felony child neglect and a misdemeanor count of reckless storage of a firearm. A plea hearing for Taylor’s case is set for next week.
Yikes.
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