Deja Taylor, the child’s mother, who injured her teacher with a gun she brought from home in the city of Newport News, admitted to accusations of “child neglect and endangering a child”, CNN reported.
It was stated that the mother, who faces up to 5 years in prison for the charge in question, reached an agreement in her defense.
Under the plea agreement, prosecutors agreed that the woman should not be sentenced for more than 6 months, while judge Chris Papile said that the plea agreement retains the right not to comply with the sentence requirement.
It was reported that the sentencing verdict for federal crimes against Taylor will be given on October 18, while the sentencing decision for state crimes will be released on October 27.
Event
In the incident that occurred in Newport News on January 6 and was recorded as the first school shooting of 2023 in the country, a 6-year-old student shot his teacher with a gun he took out of his bag during class at Richneck Elementary School.
The 25-year-old Zwerner, who was taken to the hospital with serious injuries, was reported to be out of danger, and the 6-year-old boy was taken into custody the same day.
Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew said at a press conference on January 10 that they learned that the 9-millimeter gun had been legally purchased by the student’s mother and was brought to school in the boy’s bag the morning of the incident.
Drew repeated that the action was “not an accident,” and said, “I don’t know what the discussion was, what the boy was thinking at that moment. We have three times the questions in your mind. The investigation continues. We will learn all the details after everyone’s statements are taken.” had used the words.
Noting that the answers to the questions of the 6-year-old boy, how he got to his mother’s gun and how he learned to use it, were being investigated, the police chief stated that the action against the student’s family would be acted upon according to the evidence and the law after the investigation was completed.
The student’s family, through their lawyer James S. Ellenson, claimed that their child was “chronically disabled” and that a family member always accompanied him to school, but that week his children went to school alone.
In the $40 million compensation lawsuit filed by the 25-year-old teacher Abigail Zwerner, who was shot in the hand and chest, it was alleged that the school administration was aware of the child’s violent tendencies and that her family refused to place her in special education classes.
The boy’s mother, Deja Taylor, was found guilty of child neglect and endangering a child.