Mother of the 6-year-old charged with shooting Virginia teacher
Criminal charges have been brought against the mother of the six-year-old boy who shot his teacher at a Virginia school.
A grand jury has indicted Deja Taylor, 25, on felony and misdemeanour charges of child maltreatment.
The firearm used in the shooting, according to the police, belonged to Ms. Taylor.
On January 6, the youngster arrived at Richneck Elementary School in the city of Newport News with the gun in his backpack.
Then, while teaching, he shot 25-year-old instructor Abigail Zwerner in the hand and the chest. Ms. Zwerner was shot, yet she managed to survive.
Ms. Taylor was charged on Monday with one count of felony child neglect and one count of misdemeanour for “recklessly leaving a loaded firearm so as to endanger a child,” according to prosecutors.
They stated that a “thorough investigation” into the shooting led to the accusations.
According to Howard Gwynn, the Commonwealth of Virginia’s attorney, “every criminal case is unique in the facts that support it. These facts support these charges, but our investigation into the shooting is ongoing.”
The gun was secured, according to a statement the family released following the shooting.
According to James Elleson, the family’s attorney, the gun had a trigger lock and had been in the mother’s closet on a top shelf.
Authorities stated that additional charges might be brought as a special grand jury investigated possible security lapses at the school that may have permitted the massacre to occur.
According to Mr. Gwynn, “the Special Grand Jury can return additional indictments if it finds that additional people are criminally responsible under the law.”
The instructor is suing the school administration for willful negligence after alleging that they disregarded repeated warnings that the boy had a pistol on the day of the shooting.
kid, 6, shoots teacher in Virginia; $40 million lawsuit filed
Before the incident, it was rumoured that the youngster may have a weapon, and school officials earlier acknowledged that a staff member at the school had examined the child’s backpack on that day.
The toddler was not likely to face charges in connection with the incident, according to prosecutors.
The idea that a six-year-old may stand trial is problematic, Mr. Gwynn said in March, since the youngster is too young to comprehend the legal system.
According to Mr. Gwynn at the time, “Once we analyse all the facts, we will charge any person or persons that we believe we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt committed a crime.”
