Mom of 6-Year-Old Who Shot Virginia First-Grade Teacher Sentenced to 21 Months in Prison

The mother of the six-year-old student who made headlines for shooting his first-grade teacher has been sentenced.

Wednesday, Deja Taylor was sentenced to 21 months in prison for using marijuana while owning a firearm, which is illegal under U.S. law, the Associated Press reports.

Back in January, Taylor’s son took her gun to school and shot his teacher, Abigail Zwerner, in their classroom at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, V.A. Subsequently, investigators found an ounce of marijuana in Taylor’s bedroom, along with evidence pointing to regular drug use found in her text messages and paraphernalia.

The 26-year-old mother still faces a separate sentencing in December for felony child neglect. Prosecutors have recommended she serve up to six months in that case, although she faces up to five years in prison for the charge.

As a result of the shooting, Zwerner sustained injuries to her left hand and upper chest, requiring multiple surgeries and an almost two-week stay in the hospital.  Fortunately, no one else was harmed in the incident.

Three months after the shooting, she filed a $40 million lawsuit against the school district, claiming that the school ignored warnings from teachers and other students who believed the boy had a gun. Earlier this month, a judge ruled that Zwerner’s lawsuit could proceed.