Body cam footage released after 6-year-old shot teacher at Virginia school in 2023

Newly unsealed police body camera footage shows the moments after a 6-year-old boy shot his teacher at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia.

Boy, 6, cursed at officers after shooting teacher at Newport News elementary school

Newly unsealed police body camera footage, reported by abc7ny.com, captures the moments immediately after a six-year-old boy shot his first-grade teacher at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia in 2023.

The video shows the child, his face blurred, sitting on a teacher's lap in a classroom just minutes after he shot teacher Abby Zwerner in the hand and chest. The boy had told investigators he stole the gun from his mother.

"Where is the weapon?" an officer asked in the footage.

"It's on the floor," a teacher replied.

The child then began swearing at both the teacher and the responding officers.

"If you want a piece of me, come get it all, b***," the boy said.

"The gun is there, he just admitted that he had a weapon," the teacher told officers.

The boy continued to direct a stream of profanity at those present and stated he did not care about the consequences.

"My mom had that, I stole that from my mom," he said. "I don't care if you call backup, I don't care about going to jail."

Zwerner survived the shooting and later sued Assistant Principal Ebony Parker. A civil jury found Parker grossly negligent for failing to act on warnings that the boy was carrying a gun, and awarded Zwerner $10 million in damages. Zwerner's legal team has said she still carries a bullet fragment in her body and will manage the effects of her injuries for the rest of her life.

The boy's mother, Deja Taylor, spoke to ABC News anchor Linsey Davis in 2023. Asked whether she had been aware of earlier reports that her son had chased other children, used profanity toward teachers, or behaved inappropriately, Taylor said she had no knowledge of such incidents. She described her son as having ADHD at a severe level, adding that he had recently begun medication and was meeting his academic goals at the time.

Taylor subsequently served a prison sentence on charges of child neglect and illegal gun possession. She was released in May.

The footage had been placed under seal during the criminal trial of Assistant Principal Parker, but the presiding judge later dismissed that case, allowing the video to be made public.

Source: The Sun