6-Year-Old Accused of Shooting Teacher in Virginia Has ‘Acute Disability,’ Family Says - The New York Times

U.S.|6-Year-Old Accused of Shooting Teacher successful Virginia Has ‘Acute Disability,’ Family Says

The 6-year-old lad who is accused of bringing a weapon to schoolhouse and shooting his teacher successful Newport News, Va., this period has an “acute disability” and had been nether an intensive attraction program astatine school, his household said connected Thursday successful its archetypal connection since the shooting connected Jan. 6.

The statement, released done the family’s lawyer, said that the lad had antecedently been accompanied successful schoolhouse each time by his parent oregon begetter arsenic portion of the program for his disability, and that the week of the shooting was the archetypal clip that a genitor was not successful people with him.

“We volition regret our lack connected this time for the remainder of our lives,” the household said successful a statement.

The connection besides said that the gun, which the authorities said the lad brought from home, had been “secured,” but did not explicate however the lad had gotten entree to it.

The constabulary declined to comment. No 1 has been charged successful the lawsuit truthful far, a spokeswoman for the Newport News Police Department said connected Thursday. The Newport News schoolhouse territory declined to comment, citing pupil privacy.

The caller details adhd discourse to a achy lawsuit successful which the constabulary accidental the 6-year-old obtained a handgun astatine home, brought it to Richneck Elementary School and pulled the trigger successful his first-grade classroom, earnestly injuring his teacher, Abigail Zwerner, 25. She has been released from the hospital.

The child’s past besides raises questions astir the school’s effect connected the time of the shooting, erstwhile territory officials accidental that an worker astatine Richneck Elementary, acting connected a tip, searched the boy’s backpack for a gun. No limb was recovered astatine that time, the schoolhouse territory said. Later, astir 2 p.m., the constabulary said, the lad held up a handgun successful his first-grade schoolroom and fired 1 changeable astatine his teacher.

The case, antithetic due to the fact that of the child’s young age, spurred caller speech astir schoolhouse information and entree to guns, successful an epoch of expanding schoolhouse shootings. Richneck Elementary has been closed since the shooting, and the schoolhouse territory announced it would instal metallic detectors successful each schoolhouse buildings, including simple schools.

In the statement, the household said it had been committed to “responsible weapon ownership and keeping firearms retired of the scope of children.”

The constabulary person said that the handgun was legally purchased by the child’s mother. Virginia instrumentality prohibits leaving a loaded weapon wherever it is accessible to children nether 14, a transgression that is punishable arsenic a misdemeanor.

“Our bosom goes retired to our son’s teacher and we commune for her healing,” the boy’s household said successful the statement, adding that Ms. Zwerner had “worked diligently and compassionately to enactment our household arsenic we sought the champion acquisition and learning situation for our son.”

The lad has besides been “under infirmary attraction and receiving the attraction helium needs,” his household said.

“We proceed to commune for his teacher’s afloat recovery, and for her loved ones who are undoubtedly upset and concerned,” the household said. “At the aforesaid time, we emotion our lad and are asking that you delight see him and our household successful your prayers.”

Paul Bibeau contributed reporting.