Teacher shot by 6-year-old texted a dire warning to a loved one before she was wounded, source says - NBC News

The Virginia teacher who was changeable by her 6-year-old student texted a loved 1 earlier she was wounded that the lad was equipped and that schoolhouse officials were failing to act, according to a root adjacent to the situation.

The root connected Tuesday said Abigail Zwerner sent the substance astir an hr earlier she was changeable connected Jan. 6, saying that the pupil said helium had a weapon successful his backpack and administrators astatine Richneck Elementary School successful Newport News weren't helping.

The substance "showed her frustration," said the source, who lone disclosed details of the azygous substance connection to NBC News and not the messages that came earlier oregon aft it. "She was frustrated due to the fact that she was trying to get assistance with this child, for this child, and past erstwhile she needed help, nary 1 was coming."

Abigail Zwerner.Abby Zwerner via Facebook

When asked astir Zwerner’s substance connection and erstwhile information concerns from teachers and staff, Newport News Public Schools spokesperson Michelle Price said, “Anything that has been reported to our schoolhouse enactment squad successful regards to concerns astatine Richneck from teachers and unit members is portion of the investigation. It’s being thoroughly investigated.”

On Wednesday morning, Zwerner's lawyer Diane Toscano held a quality league and said 3 teachers went to the schoolhouse medication astir the boy's behaviour connected Jan. 6 and that helium was believed to person had a weapon connected campus.

Zwerner archetypal went to a schoolhouse head betwixt 11:15 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. and said the pupil threatened to bushed up a classmate, Toscano said. A 2nd teacher went to a schoolhouse head astatine 12:30 p.m. and told the head the teacher took it upon herself to hunt the 6-year-old boy's backpack.

"The head downplayed the study from the teacher and the anticipation of a gun," Toscano said.

A 3rd teacher told an head soon earlier 1 p.m., the lad showed a pupil the weapon astatine recess and "threatened to sprout him if helium told anybody," Toscano said.

A 4th worker asked an head for support to hunt the lad and was denied, Toscano said.

The head told the employee, to "wait the concern retired due to the fact that the schoolhouse time was astir over," Toscano said.

Toscano said the "administration could not beryllium bothered" and the calamity was "entirely preventable" if the medication "had taken enactment erstwhile they had cognition of imminent danger. But instead, they failed to enactment and Abby was shot."

Toscano said she plans to bring distant a suit connected Zwerner's behalf.

Prior to the quality conference, the instrumentality steadfast representing the Zwerner household said it could not corroborate the substance and did not respond to requests for remark from the family.

The quality of the nonstop informing from Zwerner comes aft the schoolhouse system's superintendent, George Parker III, said astatine a virtual municipality hallway this period that the lad had travel to schoolhouse precocious and that his publication container was inspected upon his accomplishment astatine the bureau to motion in, according to parents who watched the meeting.

"At slightest 1 head was notified of a imaginable weapon," Parker said successful a video reviewed by NBC News.

A Newport News constabulary spokeswoman said authorities besides determined done their probe that "a schoolhouse worker was notified of a imaginable firearm astatine Richneck Elementary earlier the shooting occurred," adding, "The Newport News Police Department was not notified of this accusation anterior to the incident."

Further details weren't made disposable astir who conducted the search, wherefore the weapon wasn’t recovered and whether the child's covering was physically examined.

Zwerner, 25, was hailed arsenic a hero by constabulary who said aft she was intentionally changeable and earnestly wounded successful her manus and chest, she inactive managed to safely escort astir 20 students retired of her first-grade people astatine Richneck. She was released from the infirmary past week.

"I judge she did prevention lives, due to the fact that I don’t cognize what other mightiness person happened if those kids would person stayed successful that room," Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew said during a quality league earlier this month.

No charges connected to the lawsuit person been publically announced.

Last week, The Washington Post reported that administrators astatine the schoolhouse had downplayed earlier warnings astir the pupil contempt repeated requests for help. School employees told Parker that Zwerner had asked for assistance with the pupil "several times" passim the schoolhouse year, according to messages obtained by the Post and not independently verified by NBC News. The messages bash not bespeak who Zwerner sought assistance from.

Another connection from a teacher obtained by the Post details disturbing behaviour from the pupil that preceded the shooting, though the dates of the alleged behaviour are unclear.

The main and vice main of Richneck did not respond to requests for remark from the Post connected the teacher’s account. School territory spokeswoman Michelle Price told the Post that she could not "share immoderate accusation successful a child’s acquisition record" and besides cited the ongoing constabulary probe and interior enquiry by the school.

Drew has said that the child’s parent legally bought the 9 mm Taurus firearm utilized successful the shooting and that the lad took the weapon from his home. Whether it was decently secured is simply a cardinal constituent successful the investigation, helium has said.

The household of the lad who changeable Zwerner said successful a statement past week that the weapon was "secured" erstwhile the kid took it from their location but didn't spell into further detail.

“Our household has ever been committed to liable weapon ownership and keeping firearms retired of the scope of children. The firearm our lad accessed was secured,” said the statement, released by the family's lawyer James Ellenson.

The connection besides said the lad “suffers from an acute disablement and was nether a attraction program astatine the schoolhouse that included his parent oregon begetter attending schoolhouse with him and accompanying him to people each day. Additionally, our lad has benefitted from an extended assemblage of attraction that besides includes his grandparents moving alongside america and different caregivers to guarantee his needs and accommodations are met. The week of the shooting was the archetypal week erstwhile we were not successful people with him. We volition regret our lack connected this time for the remainder of our lives.”

Since the shooting, the connection added, the lad has been successful a infirmary receiving the “treatment helium needs.”

Ellenson did not instantly respond to a petition for remark Tuesday evening astir Zwerner's substance message before the shooting.

Richneck has been closed since the shooting. It is acceptable to reopen connected Monday and volition beryllium outfitted with a metallic detector, schoolhouse officials person said.

The territory has secured backing for 90 state-of-the-art metallic detectors that volition beryllium placed astatine each territory schools, officials said.

The schoolhouse territory has had three instances of weapon unit successful 17 months.