The teacher, 25-year-old Abigail Zwerner, ushered the students in her first-grade classroom to safety after the shooting, and Drew credited her with “saving lives.”
The boy who fired the shot is now receiving court-ordered mental health treatment at an undisclosed facility, Drew said. The boy has not been charged with a crime.
The Virginia elementary school teacher authorities say was shot by one of her 6-year-old students Friday has been identified as Abigail Zwerner, according to a posting on the website of her Newport News school.
Zwerner, who teaches first grade, was shot by the student in a classroom around 2 p.m. Friday at Richneck Elementary School, Newport News police said. The shooting was not accidental, authorities said.
The boy was taken into custody and Zwerner was rushed to the hospital, where school officials said she was in stable condition and talking with friends and family.
Richneck Elementary School Principal Briana Foster Newton announced the school will be closed for the week, longer than the previously announced two-day closure. She also said counseling will be available for students and a town hall was scheduled for Thursday.
The Newport News mayor, police and prosecutors did not immediately respond to requests for updates on the case, and it remains unclear how the boy got the gun used in the shooting or how the legal system might handle his case, which is challenging given his age. A news conference was scheduled for 4 p.m. Monday.
Zwerner lives in Williamsburg, Va., and is a native of Ruckersville, Va., according to her Facebook page. Zwerner graduated from James Madison University’s College of Education in 2019 and obtained a master’s degree from the same school in 2020, a spokeswoman said. Zwerner and her relatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In a statement released Sunday, James Madison President Jonathan R. Alger said he was “deeply saddened” by the tragedy.
“We offer prayers and best wishes for Abby’s health and recovery and want to do all we can to support Abby, her family and friends, fellow teachers and current students and their families at this incredibly difficult time,” Alger said. “JMU is prepared to support those impacted by this incident now and in the weeks to come.”
Brittaney Gregory, whose son was in the class, told The Washington Post Sunday that Zwerner’s first-grade class was in a small reading group and about to switch to art when the 6-year-old pulled the gun from a backpack and pointed it at Zwerner.
“She was going to confiscate it, and that’s when he shot,” Gregory said.
According to police radio traffic archived by the website Broadcastify, emergency responders said a woman at the school had been shot in the abdomen and through the hand.
Gregory described Zwerner as her son’s favorite. Gregory said Zwerner was bubbly and outgoing and sometimes left notes in her son’s backpack. “I hope you had a great day,” one said. “I want you to know your smile is contagious,” said another.
Gregory said her son began to act out while her fiance was deployed in the military. Zwerner scheduled a meeting with her and sent Gregory daily reports about her son. “She’s such a sweet lady,” she added. “She’s very attentive to the kids.”
Mark Anthony Garcia Sr., a parent of a second grader at Richneck, said his son heard the shooting, before a teacher told the kids to huddle in a safe room. He said his son, who is eight, does not want to return to school.
Garcia said he’s contemplating removing his son from Richneck if security does not improve. He said he wants to hear more from school officials about what they plan to do to keep guns from campus.
“We can’t heal if we don’t have security,” Garcia said.
Jim Morrison, Hannah Natanson, Nick Anderson and Alice Crites contributed to this report.