Crime & Safety
6-Year-Old's Backpack Searched Before Newport News School Shooting: Report
School officials were notified a boy might have a weapon hours before he shot his teacher, and his backpack was searched, a report said.
NEWPORT NEWS, VA — An administrator at the Newport News elementary school where police say a 6-year-old is accused of shooting his teacher last week was told the boy possibly had a weapon before the shooting, but no gun was found after the child's backpack was searched, according to a report.
Newport News Superintendent of Schools George Parker told parents Thursday night in an online meeting that a school official was notified about the weapon before the shooting at Richneck Elementary in Newport News.
"At least one administrator was notified of a possible weapon in the timeline that we’re reviewing and was aware that that student had, there was a potential that there was a weapon on campus," the superintendent told parents, according to a clip of the meeting broadcast by WAVY-TV.
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According to police, the boy is accused of intentionally shooting 25-year-old Abigail Zwerner inside a classroom on Jan. 6. The shooting was isolated and the student and teacher knew each other in a classroom setting, according to authorities.
Police said the boy took his mother's 9mm handgun to school, pulled it from his backpack and used it to shoot his first-grade teacher. Police said they don't know how the child found the gun or how he learned to fire it.
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Zwerner was shot in the chest with injuries initially considered to be life-threatening. Her condition has improved, though, and she has been reported in stable condition at a hospital.
During the meeting, Parker said the boy’s backpack was searched before the shooting, but the gun was not found at that point.
The book bag for the student was searched after it was reported that he potentially had a weapon, Parker said, according to WAVY.
District officials did not respond to multiple messages Friday from The Associated Press.
Details about how school officials learned about the weapon and why it was not found before the shooting were not immediately available.
Earlier Thursday, Newport News School Board Chair Lisa Surles-Law said the district will install metal detectors at all schools, starting with Richneck.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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