Investigation Underway on 6-Year-Old who Shot His Teacher
Credit: Unsplash
The boy likely won’t be charged, but his parents may be.
Last week, first-grade teacher at Richneck Elementary School in Virgina Abigail Zwerner was killed after being shot by one of her own students, an unidentified 6-year-old boy. The bullet impacted her upper chest, though Zwerner was not killed instantly. Despite her injuries, she escorted the other students of the class to safety before succumbing.
This incident has sparked off a complicated investigation into the boy, his personal life, his culpability, and the origin of the 9mm handgun he used to commit the crime. Investigators believe that the boy likely won’t be charged with a crime due to his age, though there may be measures taken against him if they can determine the attack was premeditated. The boy’s parents, meanwhile, may face criminal negligence charges depending on how the boy obtained the pistol. The gun was legally purchased by his mother and stored in their home, though the precise means by which it was stored is under investigation.
“The problem is the bloody guns. I’m only here because my husband is in the military. Otherwise I would not have chosen to come to this country.”
Outraged mother at Richneck Elementary School in Virginia after a 6-year-old shot a teacher
— Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@QasimRashid) January 7, 2023
“While theoretically, they could charge him with a crime, they’d have to prove that a 6-year-old was capable of forming the intent for attempted murder,” NBC News legal analyst Danny Cevallos said on the matter. He added that charges against the boy are unlikely since he cannot stand trial, as “he can’t assist his attorney and doesn’t understand what’s going on.”
