6-Year-Old Responsible for Teacher's Shooting May Not Receive Jail Time

No criminal charges might be pressed against a 6-year-old boy for shooting a 1st-grade teacher.

The school shooting happened Friday, January 6, at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia. 

Abigail Zwerner, a first-grade teacher, was shot in front of approximately 20 pupils when the incident occurred. Due to the boy's age, his identity has not been made public.

6-Year-Old shoots teacher

The public and the whole Virginia community is still outraged over how a young little boy was able to shoot his teacher.

According to the BBC and Chief of Police Steve Drew, the minor has been placed in temporary detention upon the court's directive and is currently receiving treatment at a medical facility.

He added that the boy's shooting of his teacher was not accidental but intentional.

Drew stated that the defendant has 96 hours to face a judge, who will decide whether or not he will continue to receive therapy and what the next steps would be in the case.

Technically, they could charge him with a crime. However, Danny Cevallos of NBC News said that the likelihood of the youngster being charged in any capacity, even in juvenile court, is extremely low.

Cevallos stated that even if they wanted to prosecute him, they would need to prove that a 6-year-old was capable of developing the desire to commit attempted murder.

He said it is improbable that the kid would be charged with anything since he is not competent to face trial. This is because the boy is too young to grasp what is going on and cannot aid his attorney.

According to Cevallos, the child's parents could be charged with child negligence or reckless endangerment if they found that they did not do their part in safely keeping the said weapon from their child.

If the judge decides not to charge the little boy, the parents can still face the threat of being held criminally accountable for the accident.

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First school shooting

The January 6 incident is the U.S.'s first school shooting of the year. 

According to Insider, the boy brought a 9mm Taurus handgun to class inside his backpack. While the 25-year-old teacher was lecturing, the boy shot her.

Although already injured, the teacher kept her composure and put the safety of her other children ahead of her own.

Somehow, she was able to lead her pupils out of the classroom in a secure manner.

Zwerner, who had the bullet penetrating her hand and entering the upper portion of her chest, has since been stabilized.

This incident stirred national controversy as people questioned how a young child was able to have access to a dangerous weapon and know how to operate it.

People are now calling for more laws on gun regulation and violence against young perpetrators. The public is also outraged at the parents for how they secured the gun in their household.

Some parents in the community of Virginia also fear for their child's lives, questioning how the gun could pass through the school's security.

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