As of December, more than 8.5 million students will live in a school district that requires schools to educate parents about the importance of secure firearm storage in the 2023-2024 school year, according to a statement from the campaign. There will be no school on Monday for Richneck Elementary School. Abigail Zwerner was struck Friday while she was teaching her class, Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew said Monday at a news conference. He pointed to other tactics, such as locking doors and installing security cameras, and urged a focus on mental health and conflict resolution. Several speakers said students who act out, disrespect teachers and get into fights suffer no consequences. -- A 6-year-old boy is in police custody after he shot a teacher at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, on Friday afternoon, according to Newport News Police Chief Steve "We're going to learn from this, and we're going to come back stronger.". Though badly wounded, she sent the students in her class, as many as 20 children, scrambling into the hallway, while another employee rushed into the room and restrained the 6-year-old, the authorities said. Theres a lot of unanswered questions here and missed opportunities for safety for all not just students, for everyone in that building, he said. Experts say that the best time to stop a shooting on school grounds is before a gun ever makes its way to campus, such as by intervening with any students who show early signs of distress or violence. 2. My board members know how I feel about making our schools look anything like a prison, he added. The authorities offered on Monday the first account of how the child obtained the gun, saying that the weapon, a 9-millimeter Taurus handgun, came from his home and that it had been legally purchased by his mother. They're actually in there with with counselors and officers. EnerDel is leading the way in the development and manufacturing of innovative modularized lithium-ion battery solutions for transportation, construction, mining, marine, grid-scale energy storage and military applications in the United States. The gun, which still held bullets, was on the floor when the police arrived. We did not have a situation where someone was going around the school shooting, Chief Drew said. Only then did Ms. Zwerner, 25, stagger into the hallway and toward the office to find help. "There was no physical struggle or fight. Many districts have tried to increase security in recent years, but efforts are typically concentrated in older grades, federal data shows. Students and police gather outside of Richneck Elementary School after a shooting, Friday, January 6, 2023 in Newport News, Virginia. One effective, trusted place to provide education on these safety measures is pediatricians offices, which nearly all families visit, he said. When a 6-year-old boy shot and killed a classmate in Michigan in 2000, Genesee County Prosecuting Attorney Arthur Busch didnt go after the boy, but after those who provided access to the gun. NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) A man has died following a shooting Wednesday night in Newport News. We feel as though we do not matter.. At one dramatic moment, a parent of a child in the alleged shooters classroom came to the lectern and struggled to compose her emotions before speaking. She has improved, police said in the statement. Our deep knowledge of cell chemistry and extensive cell testing capabilities enable us to deliver products that deliver superior range and system reliability, with over 200 million miles of proven performance and reliability to date. Police tape hangs from a sign post outside Richneck Elementary School following a shooting on January 7, 2023 in Newport News, Virginia. Since 1970, more than 200 employees have been shot on school properties, according to the database. Unsecured guns in homes and cars are fueling our much broader and much more prevalent gun violence issue in the US, said Cassandra Crifasi, a professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health who studies the effects of gun policies. Newport News schools superintendent George Parker III has said school officials were told the boy might have a gun. "This is something that should never occur, and I think we're all in shock and we all understand that we have a lot of work to do as a community to make sure things like this don't occur.". The 6-year-old boy is accused of later shooting his teacher. The children know where the guns are and how they are stored, he said. Our team of experts has selected the best teeth whitening gel out of hundreds of options. She was providing instruction to her class.". 5:03 AM EST, Sun January 15, 2023. The boy had a handgun in his possession. In that incident, a student fired several shots in a busy hallway. Messages of support for teacher Abby Zwerner, who was shot by a 6 year old student, grace the front door of Richneck Elementary School Newport News, Va. on Monday Jan. 9, 2023. They dismissed students by grade level, Chief Drew said. EnerDels energy storage systems provide greater reliability, scalability and efficiency compared to other battery-based solutions for a variety of residential, commercial and industrial applications. Richneck Elementary serves more than 550 students; more than half of them are Black and Hispanic, and about a quarter are white. No students were injured in this incident, which occurred around 2 p.m., police said, but tactical teams were sent into the building. Helicopter crash near Ukraine kindergarten kills children and top officials, U.S. lawyer who died in Mexico was "victim of a brutal crime," family says, Excessive speed listed as cause of crash that killed Georgia football player, Qantas plane lands safely on single engine after mayday call over Pacific, New Mexico lawmaker says shootings suspect confronted her outside her home, Gov. Students and police outside Richneck Elementary School after the shooting on Friday. It listed a security officer on its website. There were 16 to 20 students in the classroom when the gun was fired, Drew said. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. The bullet went through Zwerner's hand and into her upper chest, "but she was still able to get all of her students out of that classroom," he said. That is a great question, and I wish we never had to have it asked, he said. Campbell Robertson contributed reporting. You are talking about a gun locker or a gun safe, where the firearm is separate from the ammunition, he said. NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - A 6-year-old male student is in custody and a female teacher is in the hospital with life-threatening injuries Friday afternoon following a shooting in the classroom at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, officials confirm. Tuesdays school board meeting was the first opportunity for public venting since the shooting of first-grade teacher Abigail Zwerner on Jan. 6. According to a news release from police, officers found a man with multiple gunshot wounds. Before the office itself was locked, Ms. Zwerner showed up at the door. It was the first shooting at a US school in 2023, according to a CNN analysis, highlighting what some gun policy experts believe is a dire need for stronger, more consistent laws nationwide, requiring adults to safely secure their guns out of the reach of children and others unauthorized to use them. JMU President Jonathan R. Alger said in a statement that the campus, nearly 200 miles northwest of Newport News, was deeply saddened by the reported tragic shooting of JMU alumna Abby This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Teacher shot by 6-year-old student hailed as a hero, was intentionally shot by a 6-year-old student. Zwerner's condition was described as stable Monday. I believe she did save lives, because I dont know what else might have happened.. All Rights Reserved. / CBS News. Guns. It is important that at this time we focus on the welfare of our Richneck students and staff, said Parker. In an interview last week, Busch said hes been surprised by the repeated use of intentional by Newport News police. Parents lined up to enter Richneck Elementary School to pick up their students. In that case, the student killed Kayla Rolland as a teacher was lining up children in a hallway for a trip to the library. But experts caution that the hardening of schools is not reliably effective at preventing gun violence and can affect students perception of their safety. The police department and Riverside Regional Medical Center, where the teacher was recovering, said Saturday that she had been stabilized. Much is still unknown about the timeline of events on Jan. 6, and what exactly happened between the boys arrival at school and the shooting around 2 p.m. After shots were fired, a school employee went into the classroom and restrained the child until police arrived, Drew said. Gastineau is also an activist for the Be SMART program, a framework to help normalize conversations and educate adults about secure firearm storage. out of the hands of people deemed dangerous, the growing ways that schools have amped up security, struck down a restrictive gun control law, according to the National Center of Education Statistics. pic.twitter.com/yDsDUOlUTj, Upon hearing the news, Sen. Mark Warner tweeted, Deeply disturbed by this report and closely monitoring the situation. Come on, think about it. Eliza Fawcett and Tim Arango contributed reporting. Whether youre a lifelong resident of D.C. or you just moved here, weve got you covered. Fast, informative and written just for locals. According to the K-12 School Shooting Database, which tracks shootings in American schools going back to 1970, there have been three other cases in which the suspect was as young as six: in 2000, 2011 and 2021. 2023 Cable News Network. School Searched 6-Year-Olds Backpack Before Newport News Shooting, Officials Say, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/13/us/newport-news-shooting-gun-search.html. Police respond to a shooting at Richneck Elementary School, Friday, Jan. 6, 2023 in Newport News, Va. NEWPORT NEWS, VA - JANUARY 07: Police tape hangs from a sign post outside Richneck Elementary School following a shooting on January 7, 2023 in Newport News, Virginia. The teacher, a woman in her 30s, suffered "life-threatening" injuries and remains in critical condition, according to police reports. It's good to see them laughing. At the time of the shooting, the firearm was displayed from his person, not from his backpack, said Steve Drew, the chief of police in Newport News. The boy brought the gun from home, the authorities said, before aiming it at his teacher. I personally demand that the tears of all the students scared to go through the day in the system you are charged with protecting will haunt you until you make this right, she said, her voice rising. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. I would like to see that consequences find their way back to Newport News schools, said Djifa Lee, a second-grade teacher in the district. Still, he maintained that the shooting was not accidental. A 6-year-old student shot a teacher during an altercation at a Virginia elementary school on Friday, police said. Speaking at the news conference on Monday, Chief Drew seemed at a loss for words when asked how a 6-year-old boy knew how to use a firearm. After a teacher observed violent drawings in class, and his parents declined to take him home, he remained in school. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The penalties are different, the restrictiveness level is different, and that, at least in our study, appears to make a difference when looking at firearm deaths in children, Lee said. School board members listened without responding to the substance of any of the public comments. They searched his backpack the same day as the shooting but didnt find the weapon, he said. By Paul Bibeau,Sarah Mervosh and Campbell Robertson. Police Chief Steve Drew has said the boy shot and wounded the teacher with a handgun in a first-grade classroom on Friday. "She made sure that every one of those students was safe.". Our team of experts has selected the best teeth whitening gel out of hundreds of options. Since then, questions have been raised about why the school had not notified law enforcement after they received a report that a student might have a gun on campus. Ms. The report recommends states without such laws consider adopting them to reduce gun-related suicides, homicides and unintentional injuries and death among youth. But in a message to school staff earlier Tuesday, Parker also said the district had listened to teachers regarding the challenges of student behavior.. Jacari Taylor was 16 years old when a judge sentenced him to 10 years for the shooting. After the shooting, Drew said, police consulted with various agencies, including the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office, and services for children's welfare. Its a little bit more of a flexible policy in that it might allow a gun owner to store a gun in a way that sort of best meets their needs, said Crifasi. As a pediatrician, Andrews said in recent years she has focused on making it more acceptable in her workplace to ask the parents of children during checkups if they have firearms in the home and if they are securely stored. No one else was involved in the incident, he said. When these shootings happen, theres so much despair, theres so much tragedy and fear that can ripple across communities, said Gastineau, Giving people a place to go and look for something they can do is so important.. They found that Ms. Zwerner had been shot in the chest, and Ms. Sample-Rusk applied pressure to the wound until the police came. And then she fainted. Ms. Sample-Rusk and others in the office immediately ran to Ms. Zwerner and began administering first aid, seeing blood on Ms. Zwerners hand but trying to find out where the gunshot wound was.. His 8-year-old son is too young to fully understand what happened at his school, he said, and wants to see his friends again. How does a 7-year-old have a gun? There were still many unknowns in the Virginia case, including how exactly the gun had gotten into the hands of the child, or how it had been stored. His family has not been identified. WTVR. The police departments response was almost immediate, very, very quick, within minutes, said Drew. NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) A man has died following a shooting Wednesday night in Newport News. We have failed our students under the guise of grace. A teacher was injured in a shooting Jan. 6, 2023, at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, according to police and school officials. The shooting was isolated to a classroom at the school, Drew said. Chief Drew said that any potential charges would be based on what the facts are and what the law supports.. A man is dead following a shooting in Newport News Wednesday night, according to police. Dan Semenza, the director of interpersonal violence research at the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center at Rutgers University, said that the safest way to prevent children from using guns is to not have a firearm in the home of a child.. She was in stable condition on Monday. Alex Sundby is a senior editor for CBSNews.com. He was later sentenced to 10 years in prison. The Virginia elementary teacher who police say was intentionally shot by a 6-year-old student is being hailed as a hero who saved lives by escorting her students out of the classroom even as she was wounded. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way, Teacher talking again after being shot by 6-year-old Newport News student, sources confirm. There was a school shooting in Newport News in the fall of 2021, at Heritage High School. The child had obtained that firearm, placed it in his backpack and brought it to school, Chief Drew said, citing interviews with the child and his mother. Police, city and school district officials had not publicly named Zwerner as the teacher who was wounded before Monday. Shes terrified because the person who was advocating for her got hurt. NEWPORT NEWS, VA - JANUARY 07: Police tape hangs from a sign post outside Richneck Elementary School following a shooting on January 7, 2023 in Newport News, Virginia. The school has been closed since the shooting, and no timeline was given for reopening. Why is there a 7-year-old with a bloody gun? In that incident, a student fired several shots in a busy hallway. : 6-year-olds backpack searched before shooting, Small business recovers more than $400k sent to fraudsters, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. The investigation is ongoing. The problem with many child access prevention laws is that there isnt enough clear guidance on how guns should be stored in a way that is safe and secure, she added. The shooting, which police say While her injuries were initially described as life-threatening, Zwerner has been listed in stable condition since Saturday, according to the citys police chief, Steve Drew. Six percent of public schools reported using metal detectors for all or most students on a daily basis, according to a recent survey by the National Center for Education Statistics, up from 2 percent in the 2017-18 school year. Newport News is a city of about 185,000 people in southeastern Virginia known for its shipyard, which builds the nation's aircraft carriers and other U.S. Navy vessels. The wounded teacher went to the school office and said call 911 before collapsing, a witness said. When officers arrived on the scene, they found a man with multiple gunshot wounds. We want to make sure that they're OK.". 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