Newport News, Virginia school officials have ignored repeated warnings that the 6-year-old boy who eventually shot and killed the teacher showed up at the facility with a gun. According to the headmaster, the student had “very small pockets” for this.
“Within a few hours, the school administration was alerted three times by concerned teachers and staff that the boy was threatening people with a gun,” Diane Toscano, the lawyer for the teacher who was shot, Abby Schwerner, was quoted as saying by CNN on Wednesday. According to Toscano, when another teacher told administration that a student put a gun in his pocket and took it to rest, the response was that the boy had “small pockets.”
Toscano accused the school administration of “failing to act” despite knowing the imminent danger.
Abby Schwerner/Facebook
He announced that he would file a lawsuit on behalf of Schwerner. A 25-year-old teacher was wounded in the arm and chest after being shot in the classroom. She was initially in critical condition.
A 6-year-old boy was arrested Jan. 6 after his mother brought a legally purchased gun to school in a backpack. Police believe he used the gun on purpose. The boy’s family says he suffers from “severe disabilities”. He got into an argument with the teacher and opened fire.
It is extremely rare for such a young suspect to use a gun in schools. It has happened three times for six-year-olds — in 2000, 2011 and 2021, according to the school database, which covers children from kindergarten to 12th grade.
Main photo source: Reuters
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