Mother of 6-year-old who shot teacher sentenced to two years in prison

The mother of a 6-year-old who shot his first-grade teacher in a Virginia classroom was sentenced Friday to two years in prison after pleading guilty in August to a felony count of child neglect.

The sentencing of the mother, Deja Taylor, is the latest development in a case that drew national attention amid charged debates over guns and school safety. The January shooting in a first-grade classroom at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News stunned the community because of the child’s age and raised questions about the school’s response and the boy’s access to the gun.

Ms. Taylor’s attorney, James S. Ellenson, had previously said prosecutors had agreed to a sentence of just six months in prison given Ms. Taylor’s lack of criminal history before this episode. He called the judge’s ruling ‘excessive and harsh’.

Ms. Taylor was also convicted on federal charges. Last month, she was sentenced to one year and nine months in prison after pleading guilty to using marijuana while possessing a firearm and making false statements about drug use. The two sentences will be served consecutively.

“She’s just very upset and sad,” Mr. Ellenson said. He added that the child, who has not been charged, is in the care of his great-grandfather.

The teacher who was shot, Abigail Zwerner, was in the middle of a routine lesson when, police said, the boy pulled out the gun, pointed it at her and fired. A single bullet passed through her hand and hit her chest; she was seriously injured but survived. She has since filed court case seeking $40 million in damages from school officials, accusing them of gross negligence.

Days after the shooting, a spokeswoman for the Newport News Public School District confirmed that an employee searched the child’s backpack before the shooting occurred “after it was reported that the student may have a weapon.” No weapon was found. Later that month, the school board voted to terminate the contract of the district’s superintendent, George Parker III.

Virginia law prohibits leaving a loaded gun where it is accessible to children under 14, but there is no broad law requiring all guns to be safely stored in homes.

The boy’s family said in a January statement that the child had an “acute disability” and previously was accompanied to school every day by his mother or father. The week of the shooting was the first time a parent was not in his class, according to the statement.

“We will regret our absence on this day for the rest of our lives,” the family statement said.