", "It's a dark day for Newport News," Jones said. Dozens of teachers and parents unleashed fury, fear and frustration on the Newport News school board Tuesday evening, saying systemic problems throughout the district created the climate in which, police said, a 6-year-old boy shot his teacher earlier this month. The statute also says it is unlawful for a person to unknowingly allow a child under the age of 12 to use a firearm. Saturday afternoon, James Madison University confirmed that the teacher involved in the shooting was alumna Abby Zwerner. The boy had a handgun in his possession. But he tells me, Dad, Im not sure if Im ready to go back to that school, he said. In September 2021, a 16-year-old fired several shots in a busy hallway in Heritage High School during lunchtime, injuring two 17-year-olds, NBC affiliate WAVY of Portsmouth, Virginia, reported. "In no way do I believe that we were fully prepared for a 6-year-old student to bring a gun to school and shoot his teacher," he said. In 2022, there were 60 shootings at K-12 schools, a CNN analysis found. They dismissed students by grade level, Chief Drew said. A young student cannot purchase their own gun, which means they have to seek it from an adult. "The 6-year-old child displayed a firearm, pointed it at her and fired one round," Drew said. We want to make sure that they're OK.". "Because of the ongoing nature of the investigation, we will not be releasing any further information at this time," police said in the statement. NEWPORT NEWS, VA - JANUARY 07: Police tape hangs from a sign post outside Richneck Elementary School following a shooting on January 7, 2023 in Newport News, Virginia. Much is still unknown about the timeline of events on Jan. 6, and what exactly happened between the boys arrival at school and the shooting around 2 p.m. The Newport News Police Department said the shooting happened at Richneck Elementary School around 2 p.m. on Friday. But shootings in US schools have become far more common than they are in any other country. The school has been closed since the shooting, and no timeline was given for reopening. You've got beautiful people, but what's the problem? Did you encounter any technical issues? The boy brought the gun from home, the authorities said, before aiming it at his teacher. Even more safe would be having some kind of lock that is biometric, he added, so that only a particular individual could access it, similar to using face or finger technology to log into a cellphone. Board members, you have lost your way, and you have lost our confidence, said Colleen Renthrope, who said she had two children in the district who are terrified during active shooter drills and who are forced to attend school where there is no real discipline of students who misbehave. According to dispatch, the call for the shooting came in around 8:34 p.m. at the She said she served on an advisory committee and was repeatedly disrespected by the superintendent. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) A 6-year-old student is in custody following a shooting at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News Friday afternoon that sent a first grade teacher to the hospital, Police Chief Steve Drew confirmed. How does a 7-year-old have a gun? While Drew said he did not know what was going through the boy's mind before the shooting, he said the student shot Zwerner, 25, on purpose. No students were injured in the shooting. Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot, via Associated Press, out of the hands of people deemed dangerous, the growing ways that schools have amped up security, struck down a restrictive gun control law, such as in the 2021 shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan. School board members listened without responding to the substance of any of the public comments. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. The condition of a Virginia teacher left seriously injured when she was shot by a six-year-old pupil has shown signs of improvement, authorities say. Twenty-three states and Washington, DC, have laws in place regarding firearm storage, while eight states have laws mandating owners secure their firearms, according to research by Everytown. JMU President Jonathan R. Alger said in a statement that the campus, nearly 200 miles northwest of Newport News, was deeply saddened by the reported tragic shooting of JMU alumna Abby bullet on hand reloading to a Revolver hand gun on black background. The chief said the teacher, a woman in her 30s, suffered what he described as a life-threatening gunshot wound and was taken to a hospital. The child had obtained that firearm, placed it in his backpack and brought it to school, Chief Drew said, citing interviews with the child and his mother. Abigail Zwerner, the teacher, was in the middle of a routine lesson in her first-grade classroom when, the authorities said, the boy suddenly pulled out the gun and aimed it at her. In that case, the student killed Kayla Rolland as a teacher was lining up children in a hallway for a trip to the library. There will be no school on Monday for Richneck Elementary School. Alex Sundby is a senior editor for CBSNews.com. Since 1970, more than 200 employees have been shot on school properties, according to the database. Child access prevention laws are more flexible, generally saying gun owners must not knowingly store their guns in a place where a child could gain access to them, according to Crifasi. A 17-year-old boy and girl were Abby Zwerner suffered life-threatening Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. But first, the police said, she paused and looked back. In some rare cases, parents of children who access guns in the familys home are prosecuted. There was a school shooting in Newport News in the fall of 2021, at Heritage High School. The authorities offered on Monday the first account of how the child obtained the gun, saying that the weapon, a 9-millimeter Taurus handgun, came from his home and that it had been legally purchased by his mother. Parker said at Mondays news conference that he had a virtual meeting with teachers to get their input on security measures in the district and planned to hold a community town hall. Virginia law prohibits leaving a loaded gun where it is accessible to children under 14, but in contrast to some other states, such as Oregon and Massachusetts, there is not a broad law that requires all guns to be safely stored in homes. Many said discipline at district schools had deteriorated, resulting in unsafe classrooms, and they noted that the shooting at Richneck Elementary School was the third in the district since fall 2021. I want our schools to be great places to educate children. But, he said, if we cant maintain safety, or at least get to the point where we can have an effective and safe school day, kids wont learn anyway.. This grace has turned into enabling.. Whether youre a lifelong resident of D.C. or you just moved here, weve got you covered. Parents, teachers blast Newport News school board, administration after shooting. When the shot was fired, Ms. Zwerner threw up her hand, but the bullet passed through it and struck her chest. As in many other school shootings, the case has renewed conversation around childrens mental health and school security. She was in stable condition on Monday. Police gather at the scene of a shooting in Newport News, Virginia, on January 6, 2023. A man is dead following a shooting in Newport News Wednesday night, according to police. Police said her 6-year-old student fired a single round as Zwerner was in the middle of a lesson. Susan C. Beachy contributed research. Tuesdays school board meeting was the first opportunity for public venting since the shooting of first-grade teacher Abigail Zwerner on Jan. 6. Do you have access to a safe storage mechanism? he said, adding, Its more preventative., The shooting at Richneck Elementary happened shortly before 2 p.m. on Friday, and unfolded quickly, with officers and medics responding in a matter of minutes, according to the police. 6-Year-Old Brought Gun From Home in Newport News School Shooting, Police Say, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/09/us/newport-news-teacher-shooting.html. My thoughts go out to all families and first responders., Sen. Tim Kaine also issued a statement, saying, Im monitoring this situation closely and praying for the safety of the students, teachers, staff, and first responders at Richneck Elementary School.. At that time, he said all the children were moved to the gym after the incident and were safe. NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) A man has died following a shooting Wednesday night in Newport News. No students were injured in the shooting in the first-grade classroom at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, and a 6-year-old was taken into custody Friday. The Newport News school board is set to address the incident at Richneck Elementary School in which a 6-year-old allegedly shot a teacher. Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot, via Associated Press. The shooting was the districts third in a short span. This is the 17th shooting by someone under 10 years of age in a school. We did not have a situation where someone was going around the school shooting, Chief Drew said. Several teachers said they were not supported when facing violence in the classroom or even attacks by students. The bullet struck her hand and chest, and she was rushed to the hospital, while the boy was taken into custody. If you want to make sure you have the necessary supplies on hand to treat a future breakout, acne patches are the answer. Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service via Getty Images, Illinois woman's remains found over 5 years after she disappeared, Michael Cohen, Trump's former "fixer," meets with Manhattan investigators. At a news conference on Monday, the police said the boy had retrieved the handgun legally purchased by his mother from home, put it in his backpack and brought it to school. Schools Superintendent George Parker III said the incident happened in a first-grade classroom. A 6-year-old student shot a teacher during an altercation at a Virginia elementary school on Friday, police said. Police tape hangs from a sign post outside Richneck Elementary School following a shooting in Newport News, Virginia. As of December, more than 8.5 million students will live in a school district that requires schools to educate parents about the importance of secure firearm storage in the 2023-2024 school year, according to a statement from the campaign. But now, he said, some steps taken at high schools, like metal detectors, may need to be explored. Still, every year, hundreds of children in the US gain access to firearms and unintentionally shoot themselves or someone else, according to research by Everytown for Gun Safety, a leading non-profit organization focusing on gun violence prevention. In something of a mass catharsis, speakers called for the superintendent to be fired, and many said his plan to install metal detectors at schools in response to the recent shooting was entirely inadequate. That is a great question, and I wish we never had to have it asked, he said. Metal detectors and some other surveillance strategies have drawn criticism for not reliably preventing shootings, while also negatively affecting students of color. When officers arrived on the scene, they found a man with multiple gunshot wounds. A 6-year-old student shot a teacher during an altercation at a Virginia elementary school on Friday, police said. EnerDel is proud to be a US designer and manufacturer, with our headquarters, engineering and manufacturing in Indiana, and our advanced engineering tech center in California. / CBS News. I was very nervous just wondering was that one person my son?. IE 11 is not supported. In that incident, a student fired several shots in a busy hallway. The wounded teacher went to the school office and said call 911 before collapsing, a witness said. Ms. Zwerner was teaching when the boy fired the gun, the police said. David Riedman, the founder of the K-12 School Shooting Database, which tracks U.S. shootings on school grounds dating to 1970, said shootings by a child on a campus are extremely rare. The teacher, a woman in her 30s, suffered "life-threatening" injuries and remains in critical condition, according to police reports. Nine percent of public schools reported random metal detector use, up from 5 percent five years ago. And I told him the only thing we can do in this situation is try. The .38mm and 9mm. The shooting, which police say About 7 to 9 percent of middle and high schools required backpacks to be clear or banned them, compared with about 2 percent of elementary schools.More than 80 percent of high schools reported employing at least one security staff member, compared with about 55 percent of elementary schools. Later that fall, an 18-year-old Warwick High School student fatally shot a 17-year-old Woodside High student after a basketball game. Glenn Youngkin released the According to dispatch, the call for the shooting came in around 8:34 p.m. at the intersection of Oak Avenue and Hampton Avenue. Newport News Superintendent George Parker III came under fire during a school board meeting Tuesday following the shooting of a teacher by a six-year-old student. My board members know how I feel about making our schools look anything like a prison, he added. A six-year-old boy has been detained by police after shooting a teacher in the US state of Virginia, officers say. Riedman added the case was very similar to when a 6-year-old fatally shot a classmate at a Michigan school in 2000. It was the first shooting at a US school in 2023, according to a CNN analysis, highlighting what some gun policy experts believe is a dire need for stronger, more consistent laws nationwide, requiring adults to safely secure their guns out of the reach of children and others unauthorized to use them. Its a little bit more of a flexible policy in that it might allow a gun owner to store a gun in a way that sort of best meets their needs, said Crifasi. 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Newport News Public Schools, which has 26,500 students, has three early childhood centers, 24 elementary schools, seven middle schools and five high schools, according to thedistricts website. Fifteen states and Washington, DC have child access prevention laws, which generally stipulate an individual will be held liable if they did not securely store a firearm accessed by a minor, according to Everytown. Police in Newport News, Virginia, provided new details Monday about the shooting of an elementary school teacher allegedly by a 6-year-old student. I am continuing to monitor the situation and am praying for the continued safety of all students and the community.". Gun allegedly used by 6-year-old in Virginia school shooting was bought by child's mother, police say. "There was no physical struggle or fight. (Billy Schuerman/The "There is a lot to learn here and a lot to unpack. WAVY spoke with Richneck parent Joselyn Glover who said, My heart stopped. Updated on: January 7, 2023 / 7:36 PM / CBS News. We demand that our kids and teachers come home safe every day.. School officials in Newport News have quickly moved to install metal detectors at all school buildings, a strategy that has stirred debate but has also grown more popular as school shootings have become more common. Virginia law prohibits leaving a loaded gun where it is accessible to children under 14, a crime that is punishable as a misdemeanor. Newsfeed Now: Biden unveils $1.75 trillion spending, Newsfeed Now: Democrats push to wrap up negotiations, Newsfeed Now: FDA panel backs Pfizers low-dose COVID-19, Newsfeed Now: Industry peers angry over deadly movie, Newsfeed Now: Infrastructure Bill drawing toward, Newsfeed Now: FBI IDs remains of Brian Laundrie;, Newsfeed Now: FBI finds remains at Florida reserve, Newsfeed Now: School official under fire for Holocaust, Newsfeed Now: Gabby Petitos family wants vengeance, Newsfeed Now: Family says Gen. 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