Inside the Case of the 6-Year-Old Who Shot His Teacher

New bodycam footage has been released that shows the aftermath of a 6-year-old elementary school student shooting his teacher, Abby Zwerner, in the chest on January 6, 2023 in Newport News, Virginia.

Background

The boy had a history of violent behavior at school, including choking a teacher and chasing students while trying to whip them with a belt. He had also previously targeted the teacher he later shot when he threw her phone to the ground and shattered it.

Due to his unstable behavior, he was required to have one of his parents come to school with him. However, the day of the shooting was the first week that this protocol was lifted. Similarly to past incidents, the boy came to school in an angry and violent mood.

After threatening to beat up a kindergartner, teacher Abby Zwerner went to report him to the assistant principal, who supposedly refused to even look up. After other teachers became convinced he had a weapon and asked to search the boy's pockets, the assistant principal told them to just wait out the school day.

black semi automatic pistol on gray textile

Shooting

At around 2:00 PM, the boy pulled out a 9 mm handgun and aimed it at Zwerner. Zwerner raised her left hand, and the boy fired. The bullet went through her hand and into her chest, where it lodged. She survived the shooting, required six surgeries, and it was decided it would be unsafe to remove the bullet.

Zwerner amazingly was able to safely evacuate her students before collapsing. A reading specialist safely restrained the child as police arrived. The new bodycam footage shows the child cursing at the cops and the specialist, saying, "Both of ya'll want an fing piece of me? If you want a piece of me, come get it on, bh."

He also said, "I don't care if you call backup. I don't care if I go to jail." The boy then punched the specialist, knocking her glasses off, before police took him into custody.

READ MORE: YOUR BRAIN HAS A CLEANING SYSTEM, MAKE IT WORK

The 6-year-old will face no charges due to his age, but his mom pleaded guilty to child neglect and failure to secure her firearm. She will serve 4 years in prison. Zwerner filed a lawsuit against the school division and assistant principal Parker and was awarded 10 million dollars in damages.