Wounded Virginia teacher walked her students to safety after she was shot by 6-year-old, officials say - NBC News

The Virginia simple teacher who constabulary accidental was intentionally changeable by a 6-year-old student is being hailed arsenic a leader who saved lives by escorting her students retired of the schoolroom portion wounded.

Abigail Zwerner was struck Friday portion teaching her class, Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew said Monday astatine a quality conference.

"The 6-year-old kid displayed a firearm, pointed it astatine her and fired 1 round," Drew said. "There was nary carnal conflict oregon fight. She was providing acquisition to her class."

The slug went done the teacher's manus and into her precocious chest, "but she was inactive capable to get each of her students retired of that classroom," helium said.

"She made ... definite that each 1 of those students was safe."

While Drew said helium did not cognize what was going done the boy's caput anterior to the shooting, helium said the pupil purposely changeable the 25-year-old teacher.

"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."

There were betwixt 16 and 20 students successful the schoolroom erstwhile the weapon was fired, Drew said.

Zwerner's information was described arsenic unchangeable Monday.

No students were injured successful the shooting successful the first-grade schoolroom astatine Richneck Elementary School successful Newport News, and a 6-year-old was taken into custody Friday.

The main said investigators recovered 1 spent ammunition casing, a backpack, a cellphone and 9 MM Taurus firearm.

“The altercation was betwixt a 6-year-old, the student, who did person the firearm, and the teacher, and past a circular was fired,” Drew had said.

On Monday, the main called the probe into the shooting "unprecedented." He said the weapon was taken from the child's home. The boy's parent had legally purchased the gun, Drew said.

After the shooting, Drew said, constabulary consulted with assorted agencies including the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office, and services for children's welfare. The lad was transported to a infirmary and evaluated, Drew said.

A court-ordered impermanent detention bid was placed connected the kid who is "currently receiving attraction astatine a aesculapian facility," Drew said. The probe remains ongoing, helium said.

Whether the boy's parents volition beryllium charged successful the shooting volition beryllium determined successful consultation with the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office, Drew said.

David Riedman, the laminitis of the K-12 School Shooting Database that tracks U.S. shootings connected schoolhouse grounds dating to 1970, said shootings by a kid connected a field are highly rare.

“This is the 17th shooting by idiosyncratic nether 10 years of property successful a school. It’s uncommon for a 6-year-old to propulsion the trigger," helium said.

Riedman added the lawsuit was precise akin to erstwhile a 6-year-old fatally changeable a classmate astatine a Michigan schoolhouse successful 2000. In that case, the student killed Kayla Rolland arsenic a teacher was lining up children successful a hallway for a travel to the library.

Shootings involving children are wholly preventable, helium said.

“This is simply a tragic concern due to the fact that it’s extraordinarily preventable,” Riedman said. “A young pupil cannot acquisition their ain gun, which means they person to question it from an adult. This was a weapon that this pupil could not get connected their ain and if an big had decently secured it, the shooting would person ne'er happened.”

Since 1970, much than 200 employees person been changeable connected schoolhouse properties, according to the database.

That includes 167 teachers, 44 principals oregon adjunct principals, 59 different schoolhouse staffers and 18 schoolhouse autobus drivers.

Police, metropolis and school district officials had not publically named Zwerner arsenic the teacher who was wounded anterior to Monday.

James Madison University identified the wounded teacher arsenic Abby Zwerner, 1 of its graduates.

JMU President Jonathan R. Alger said successful a connection that the campus, astir 200 miles northwest of Newport News, was “deeply saddened by the reported tragic shooting of JMU alumna Abby Zwerner.”

Police said successful a connection that Drew met with her and her household Saturday morning.

Both the constabulary section and Riverside Regional Medical Center, wherever the teacher was recovering, said Saturday that she had been stabilized.

“She has improved,” constabulary said successful the statement. “Because of the ongoing quality of the investigation, we volition not beryllium releasing immoderate further accusation astatine this time.”

The 6-year-old pupil was not identified due to the fact that of his age.

Richneck was closed to students this week, officials said.

“I’m successful awe, and I’m successful shock, and I’m disheartened,” George Parker III, superintendent of Newport News Public Schools, said astatine the media briefing past week.

During Monday's quality conference, Parker said helium had a virtual gathering with teachers to get their input connected information measures successful the territory and planned to clasp a assemblage municipality hall.

"In nary mode bash I judge that we were afloat prepared for a 6-year-old pupil to bring a weapon to schoolhouse ... and sprout his teacher," helium said. "There is simply a batch to larn present and a batch to unpack."

James J. Fedderman, president of the Virginia Education Association, the national that represents galore nationalist schoolhouse teachers successful the state, said successful a connection the shooting is “yet different illustration of senseless unit affecting our nationalist schools.”

Before Friday’s incident, shootings astatine 2 different schools wrong the Newport News Public Schools strategy had shaken the community.

In September 2021, a 16-year-old fired respective shots successful a engaged hallway successful Heritage High School during lunchtime, injuring 2 17-year-olds, NBC affiliate WAVY of Portsmouth, Virginia, reported.

The shooter was sentenced to 10 years successful prison, according to the station.

Less than 2 months later, Demari Batten, 18, fatally changeable Justice Dunham, 17, successful the parking batch of Menchville High School aft a shot crippled against Woodside High School, besides successful the aforesaid schoolhouse system, according to WAVY.

Newport News Public Schools, which has 26,500 students, has 3 aboriginal puerility centers, 24 simple schools, 7 mediate schools and 5 precocious schools, according to the district’s website.