A heroic teacher left critically-injured after she was shot in the chest by a six-year-old pupil screamed at students to run for their safety.
Abby Zwerner, 25, from Williamsburg, Virginia, US, was teaching at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News when a pupil opened fire in the classroom at around 2pm on Friday, according to cops.
Investigators believe the shooting took place after a dispute between the student and teacher.
Police quickly arrived at the scene after reports of a shooting as the teacher was rushed to Riverside Regional Medical Center for urgent treatment.
Police quickly arrived at the scene after reports of a shooting as the teacher was rushed to Riverside Regional Medical Center for urgent treatment.
Authorities confirmed her condition has since improved by late afternoon.
Sebastian Gonzalez-Hernandez, a parent at the school, revealed the heroic teacher told children in the classroom to flee before she was struck by a single bullet.
He told the Daily Mail, ‘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.’
Newport News Police Chief Steven Drew said the 6-year-old boy is in custody but it remains unclear what charges he will face.
Drew added there was just one shot fired in the classroom but police are unsure how the 6-year-old gained access to a firearm.
The children were quickly moved to the school gym and everyone was reported as safe, according to cops.
‘This was not an accidental shooting,’ Newport News Chief Steve Drew said at a press conference on Friday.
‘It was in a classroom, an altercation took place there. We did not have a situation where someone was going around the school shooting. We had a situation in one particular location where a gunshot was fired.
‘A grandmother of one of the students told DailyMail.com that a student brought ‘shiny gold bullets’ to school last week, but it is unclear if it is the same child who was taken into custody today.
She said: ‘The parents outside stated that their child told them a kid brought golden shiny bullets to school and was thinking about bringing his gun.
The student told the parent, who informed the school. And the school just yesterday got back to the parent saying the parent of the kid said it was a nerf bullet and the parent said nerf bullets aren’t shiny and gold.’
She was not positive if the child who brought the bullets is the same child allegedly involved in the shooting today.
The school, however, does have the capability of metal detecting students, Superintendent George Parker said at the press conference.
They do not perform the test on every student, every day, but said every school in the district has the capability to do so.
