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Abby Zwerner, a 25-year-old teacher, who was shot by a first-grade boy on January 6, texted her family before being wounded that the six-year-old boy was carrying a gun and that the school authorities were not taking action.
The six-year-old boy allegedly showed his handgun to another child and threatened to shoot him if he disclosed it to anybody. Another teacher mentioned that she did not find the gun in his backpack and believed he had concealed it in his pocket.
Abby had also alerted the Richneck Elementary School authorities regarding the boy. However, the school administrator dismissed the claim. According to the New York Post, a source close to the situation revealed,
“She was frustrated because she was trying to get help with this child, for this child, and then when she needed help, no one was coming.”
Zwerner’s lawyer Diana Toscano mentioned that she had alerted the school around three times and got no response.
Attorney for Abby Zwerner said the teacher will be suing the school district
On January 6, Abby was shot in the chest by a young student at Virginia’s Richneck Elementary School. Teacher Abby Zwerner reported the armed six-year-old to the school authorities. However, they failed to respond positively.
Abby Zwerner’s attorney Diana Toscano said that the teacher will sue the school district, as their negligence led to the horrific incident. Zwerner was recently discharged from the hospital.
George Parker, the school superintendent, was removed from his post soon after Toscano declared that Abby would be suing the school district. According to Toscano, the horrific shooting was “entirely preventable.” She stated:
“On that day, over the course of a few hours, three different times – three times – school administration was warned by concerned teachers and employees that the boy had a gun on him at school and was threatening people. But the administration could not be bothered.”
Toscano mentioned that a school employee had asked permission to search the young boy’s backpack after they heard that the kid allegedly possessed a gun. However, the employee was asked to wait since the “school day was almost over.”
After the incident, Abby’s twin sister Hannah Zwerner launched a GoFundMe campaign to support her sister in her healing procedure. It aimed to raise $250,000 and has already raised more than $240,000.
Parents of the six-year-old and other students praise the teacher as police continue their investigation
BBC News reported that the six-year-old’s family praised Abby Zwerner. According to the family,
“[Abby Zwerner] worked diligently and compassionately to support our family as we sought the best education and learning environment for our son.”
They added that the young boy had an “acute disability” and was always accompanied by at least one parent when he went to school. On January 6, however, he was not accompanied by anyone. They said,
“We will regret our absence on this day for the rest of our lives.”
Meanwhile, Desiree Yvette, the guardian of another student, said that her daughter was traumatized due to the violent shooting. Yvette said,
“She’s six, she’s terrified because the person who was advocating for her getting hurt. I was scared for any of the kids to have witnessed this, but I was even more scared that my daughter was witnessing this.”
She added,
“She [Abby Zwerner] has always said those are her kids. It was heartbreaking and it was the bravest thing I've heard. She is honestly an earth angel. She's the kindest person. She's so supportive of her students.”
Zwerner had just finished reading a story in class when the young kid shot her using a handgun. The child’s family has not been identified, and it has been discovered that they have “secured” the firearm.
According to Police Chief Steve Drew, the shooting was intentional as the boy aimed at Zwerner before opening fire. School district spokeswoman Michelle Price said,
“Anything that has been reported to our school leadership team in regards to concerns at Richneck from teachers and staff members is part of the investigation. It's being thoroughly investigated.”
No charges have been filed against the child’s family as of now. Police, however, are currently investigating the case.
