Newly revealed records show that the 6-year-old Virginia boy who shot his first-grade teacher allegedly said, “I shot that b**** dead.”
According to reports, a reading specialist is the one who restrained the boy until police arrived at Richneck Elementary School on January 6.
“I did it,” the boy said. “I got my mom’s gun last night.”
A police investigation confirmed that the boy used his mother’s legally purchased gun. Although the boy remains uncharged, his mother, Deja Taylor, faces indictments including child neglect, firearm endangerment, unlawful substance use with a firearm, and making a false statement while purchasing a gun.
On June 12, she pleaded guilty to illegally obtaining a firearm and making false statements during purchase. Taylor could face up to 25 years in prison when sentenced in October.
The boy’s teacher Abigail Zwerner, 25, was shot and needed multiple surgeries. She filed a $40 million lawsuit, accusing school officials of negligence for ignoring warnings about the boy having a gun and being in a “violent mood” on the day of the incident.
As indicated in the search warrant, numerous staff members, including Amy Kovac, the reading specialist who controlled the boy, were informed by two students that the 6-year-old had a gun in his backpack. During recess, Kovac and an administrator inspected the boy’s bag, but no firearm was discovered.
After the shooting, a loaded 9mm handgun was discovered by the police on the classroom floor.
During their investigation, detectives spoke to a retired Newport News elementary school teacher who had taught the boy. She alleged that on September 27, 2021, the boy choked her by putting his arms around her neck from behind while she was sitting, making it hard for her to breathe. A teacher’s assistant had to remove him from the classroom.
The warrant also describes efforts to acquire the boy’s school records from Child Protective Services and Newport News Public Schools.
According to CBS affiliate WTKR, when questioned about the warrant, the school district cited the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act as the reason for being unable to comment.
“Unfortunately, FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, prevents schools from releasing information from a student’s education record,” the district told WTKR. “U.S. Department of Education guidance states ‘schools must have written permission from the parent or eligible student in order to release any information from a student’s education record.'”
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