A six-year-old boy who shot his teacher at an elementary school in the United States has been seen abusing police officers and daring them to fight him in newly released body-camera footage.
The incident occurred on January 6, 2023, at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, where the boy shot first-grade teacher Abby Zwerner with a 9mm handgun taken from his mother’s purse.
The bullet passed through Zwerner’s hand and struck her chest, leaving her seriously injured. She survived the shooting.
In the footage, the boy, identified only as JT, is seen shouting profanities at responding officers while a school reading specialist restrains him.
He reportedly challenged the officers to fight and declared that he did not care if he was arrested. He also admitted that he had taken the gun from his mother.
The footage was recently unsealed and released publicly after the shooting case attracted renewed attention.
The child was not criminally charged. His mother, Deja Taylor, was sentenced to prison on child-neglect and federal firearms-related charges.
Zwerner later sued the school’s former assistant principal, Ebony Parker, over alleged failures to respond to warnings about the child’s behaviour and the possibility that he had a gun. A jury awarded the teacher $10 million in damages.
The case has renewed concerns about firearm safety, school security and the responsibility of adults to prevent children from gaining access to guns.
