Deja Taylor, the mother of a six-year-old who shot his first-grade teacher, has pleaded guilty.
On Tuesday, Taylor entered her plea in state court after being charged in April with felony child neglect and misdemeanor reckless storing of a firearm. Under her plea agreement, prosecutors dropped the lesser charge, though the 26-year-old will still have the felony charge on her record. Back in June, Taylor pleaded guilty in federal court to using marijuana while possessing a firearm. Investigators found weed in her home after the shooting, which only added to her legal troubles. Taylor will learn her sentence for both charges in October. She faces six months for the state deal and between 18 and 24 months for the federal crimes.
Taylor’s young son retrieved his mother’s weapon, put it in his shark backpack, and took it to Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia. He purposefully pointed it at his teacher, Abby Zwerner, and fired it on January 6th while she taught a reading lesson in front of other students, Fox News reports. After the shots rang out, the child stated, “I shot that b**** dead,” and confirmed that he’d taken his mother’s gun the night prior. Taylor had legally purchased the firearm, which was previously secured with a trigger lock installed at the top of her bedroom dresser. Typically, the key for the lock remains under Taylor’s mattress. Unfortunately, it remains unclear how the boy was able to access the weapon so easily if the proper steps were taken.
Taylor’s attorney James Ellenson, says that she is remorseful for the actions of her child but believes she should not serve jail time.
“It’s just very emotional, the whole hearing. It’s all just very upsetting to everybody,” Ellenson said after the plea hearing.
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