Hero teacher, 25, shot in the chest ‘by 6-year-old pupil’ in classroom ‘screamed at students to run to safety’
A HEROIC first-grade teacher who was shot in the classroom by a pupil screamed at other students to run to safety.
Abby Zwerner, 25, was shot by a six-year-old at a school in Virginia on Friday, with authorities saying the shooting was not an accident.
Mr Gonzalez-Hernandez added: "Even after she'd been shot she was thinking about the safety of her children.
"She is an amazing teacher, so dedicated. My son absolutely loves her, and we're devastated about what's happened. We are all thinking of her and hoping that she gets better soon."
Footage from Richneck Elementary School showed police vehicles speeding through traffic as they raced to the school.
Police later revealed that the teacher was listed in critical condition but had somewhat improved by late afternoon.
Police Chief Steve Drew said that the child was in custody though it was unclear what charges the six-year-old may face.
He also confirmed that the shooting took place after a confrontation between Abby and the student.
Drew said that shots were fired in only one location, the first grade classroom.
Investigators are still looking into how the child got hold of a firearm.
All of the children were moved to the gym after the shooting and Drew confirmed that they were all safe.
“The six-year-old won’t be prosecuted for this shooting and I doubt the child will be detained for any significant length of time," Rahmani exclusively told The U.S. Sun.
"Virginia law presumes that a six-year-old can’t be criminally liable and can’t even be held liable in civil court for negligence,” he said.
He added that police will likely investigate how the child got access to the weapon and was able to bring it to school.
The parents will be the first people authorities will look at, the former prosecutor said.
“Virginia makes it a misdemeanor crime to allow a child to access a firearm. But it’s only a misdemeanor, so even if that results in a conviction of the parents or anyone else, the consequences would be minimal,” he said.
“And that’s pretty much the extent of what consequences any adult might face for this shooting.”
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Rahmani cited the case of Jennifer and James Crumbley, who were charged after their 15-year-old son, Ethan, allegedly killed four students in the Oxford High School shooting in Michigan on November 30, 2021.
“That prosecution was aided by the fact that they gave their teenage son a firearm as a gift. I doubt those same circumstances apply with this six-year-old, so that makes it harder to charge any adult in this shooting," Rahmani said.