Boy, 6, who shot his teacher allegedly told pupil he 'wanted to set her on fire'
A six-year-old boy with an 'acute disability' shot his teacher, 25, in the chest at school after reportedly writing a disturbing note that outlined how he wanted her to die
A six-year-old boy shot his teacher in the chest with a handgun, after telling another staff member he wanted to set her on fire and watch her die.
First-grade teacher Abigail Zwerner, 25, survived the shooting at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, on January 6.
According to the New York Post, she managed to send her students out of the classroom before collapsing, and was then rushed to the hospital for treatment.
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According to authorities, there was no warning or struggle before the shooting occurred, with the student opening fire with a 9mm Taurus handgun.
Staff members were reportedly alerted that the student may have been carrying a weapon before the incident, however upon searching his backpack, it appeared that he was unarmed.
The shooting came after the student, who has been described as “troubled”, repeatedly made threats to hurt his teacher, which were reportedly ignored by senior members of the school’s staff.
Zwerner is said to have shared her fears about the child’s behaviour with administrators and asked for support with the boy. Other teachers informed the school’s Superintendent, George Parker III, about Zwerner’s actions, saying: “She had asked for help”, with one staff member adding: “Several times”.
The troubled student’s behaviour in the lead up to the shooting included him barricading a classroom door and preventing students and a teacher from exiting. He was also known to throw furniture and other objects around the classroom.
Disturbingly, the threats he made to hurt his teacher were in the form of a written note, which outlined his desire to set her on fire to kill her, and that he hated her.
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Upon passing on the letter to the school administrators, the teacher was told to “drop it”.
Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew has said that the shooting is being investigated as “intentional”.
The child’s parents have issued a public statement, admitting that the firearm had been “secured” in their home.
In the statement, the boy’s parents detailed their son’s “acute disability”, and that the week of the shooting was the only time his mother or father had not accompanied him to class every day.
They said: “We will regret our absence on this day for the rest of our lives.”
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