A 6‑year-old boy shot his teacher at a US school with a gun legally purchased by his mother, police said in a statement.
At a news conference Monday, Virginia police said the boy had carried a gun in his backpack to school.
A boy deliberately shot teacher Abigail “Abby” Zwerner during class on Friday. After the teacher managed to evacuate the student to safety, he called for help himself, police said.
Zwerner, 25, remains in hospital and is in a stable condition.
Police in Newport News, a city of 180,000 northwest of Virginia Beach, said they spoke with the teacher in the early hours of Monday.
Police Chief Steve Drew said, “She’s a cop and a hero,” adding that Zwerner repeatedly asked if students were in the classroom at the time of the shooting.
Around 14:00 local time (19:00 Japan time), police received a call that a teacher had been shot at Richneck Elementary School. When I entered the classroom, a 6‑year-old student was being hugged by school staff.
Chief Drew said the boy fired one shot at the teacher. “The shooting was intentional, not accidental,” he said, adding that it happened while Zwerner was teaching a class.
Zwerner was hit in his hands and upper chest, Drew said. He then checked the safety of the students outside the classroom and went to the school administration office for help.
“He turned around to make sure everyone was okay,” Drew said.
When the school building was locked, a woman picking up her grandson saw Mr. Zwerner appear at the school gate.
Lowanda Sample-Rusk told the New York Times, “She said, ‘Call 911 and I’ve been shot.’ And she passed out.
Another parent told The Washington Post that the shooting occurred after a teacher tried to confiscate the girl’s gun.
Police said a Taurus 9mm pistol was found near a student’s desk in the classroom, along with the student’s backpack, mobile phone and used cartridges.
Drew said police learned through interviews with the boy’s mother that the gun was legally purchased and kept at her home.
Police said the unidentified boy was in custody and was being evaluated at a hospital, adding that they planned to apply for a temporary detention order.
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