School administrators ignored warnings that 6-year-old had a gun before he shot teacher: report

"This entire situation was completely avoidable," said the teacher's attorney

Published January 26, 2023 3:30PM (EST)

Chief of Police Steve Drew speaks at a press conference held discussing details of a school shooting involving a teacher at Richneck Elementary School being shot by a 6-year-old in Newport News, Va., on Monday, January 9, 2023.  ( Kristen Zeis/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Chief of Police Steve Drew speaks at a press conference held discussing details of a school shooting involving a teacher at Richneck Elementary School being shot by a 6-year-old in Newport News, Va., on Monday, January 9, 2023. ( Kristen Zeis/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)

This article originally appeared on Raw Story

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The first-grade teacher who was shot by one of her own students now plans to sue the school for ignoring the obvious warnings from the student, according to NBC Nightly News.

Teacher Abigail Zwerner says that she went to school officials in Newport News earlier to report that the same student who would go on to shoot her had threatened to physically assault another student.

"This entire situation was completely avoidable if the school administrators responsible for school safety had done their part," said Diane Toscano, attorney for Zwerner.

School administrators were given a warning about the student, who also threatened another student after showing them a gun in their backpack. Another teacher told administrators about the threat and asked to search the student, but their efforts were denied.

In the hours before Zwerner was shot, her nerve about the student threat increased, even texting relatives about the troubled student and his threats that were not being addressed by school officials.

The superintendent of the Newport News School District, Dr. George Parker III, has been forced out of his position due to his lack of response to the emergency.


By Rodric Hurdle-Bradford



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