Deja Taylor, the mother of a 6-year-old student who shot his first-grade teacher has been indicted on charges of felony child neglect, and one count of recklessly leaving a firearm to endanger a child, a news release from the office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney said Monday.
Taylor’s son shot Richneck Elementary Public School teacher Abigail Zwerner, 25, on January 6.
The boy allegedly took a gun from home in his backpack to school and shot Zwerner, who sustained critical wounds but is expected to fully recover.
The Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office stated that it ‘determined that the facts and the law’ support the two charges against Taylor.
Every criminal case is unique in its facts, and these faces support these charges, but our investigation into the shooting continues,’ wrote Commonwealth’s Attorney Howard Gwynn.
Gwynn said he filed a petition in the city’s circuit court to form a special grand jury to continue a probe into ‘any security issues that may have contributed to this shooting’.
A local prosecutor last month said that Newport News authorities would not seek charges against the boy.
‘The prospect that a six-year-old can stand trial is problematic’, the prosecutor said.
But the investigation by the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office will determine if any other individuals were involved and if they will be charged.
The charges against Taylor come after Zwerner earlier this month filed a $40million lawsuit against several Newport News Public Schools administrators alleging negligence.
‘There were failures in accountability at multiple levels that led to Abby being shot and almost killed,’ said Zwerner’s lawyer in Diane Toscano at the time.
‘Our lawsuit makes clear that we believe the school division violated state law, and we are pursuing this in civil court. We will not allow school leaders to escape accountability for their role in this tragedy.’
