The 6-year-old Virginia boy who shot his teacher allegedly tried to choke another educator until she could not breathe.
The Virginia boy had been reported as having an acute disability. In line with that, he is often described as having aggressive behaviors, such as lashing out at his classmates and educators around the school premises.
Virginia boy chokes another teacher
According to ABC, the Virginia boy chased students around trying to whip them with his belt, constantly cursed at staff and teachers, and once choked another teacher until she could not breathe, as per the legal notice filed by an attorney of teacher Abby Zwerner.
The Virginia boy had a history of problematic behavior while attending Richneck Elementary School, as well as encounters that upset his instructors and fellow pupils.
In the notice, Zwerner's attorney, Diane Toscano, explained that their client wanted to file a lawsuit against the school district. According to the claim notice, the youngster smashed Zwerner's cell phone two days before the shooting, causing it to break. He was given a one-day suspension then.
When he returned to Zwerner's class the next day, he grabbed a 9mm handgun out of his pocket and fired at the teacher while she was sitting at a reading table.
Furthermore, the New York Post also reported that there was evidence of the teacher previously complaining to her school administrators about the disturbing behavior of the child towards his peers and expressing that she felt "uncomfortable" having him back in her classroom.
Teacher Abigail Zwerner previously reported two disturbing incidents involving the boy in emails to her superiors on November 22, less than two months before the incident.
Richneck's principal informed before 6-year-old shoots teacher
According to the BBC, on the day of the shooting at Richneck Elementary School, the victim, Abby Zwerner, went to the office of former assistant principal Ebony Parker to raise concerns about the Virginia boy's behavior.
Zwerner reported that the child seemed more "off" than usual and was in a violent mood. The teacher's concerns were not taken seriously. The document further stated that several hours before the shooting, at least three teachers and staff members had warned school administrators that they strongly believed the 6-year-old was carrying a gun to school.
The boy had also threatened to beat up a kindergarten student and had shown hostile behavior toward the school security officer in the lunchroom.
Despite these alarming reports, Assistant Principal Parker failed to follow proper protocol and did not call the police but instead chose to do nothing.
The boy's backpack was searched, but no gun was found, and administrators did not remove the child from class, lock down the school, or call the police.
Assistant Principal Parker and Richneck Elementary School principal Foster Newton resigned due to the incident.
According to Attorney Pamela Branch, those who knew the student had a gun on the premises that day did not report it to Ms. Newton.
This highlights the failure of the school administrators to take proper action and follow established protocol, resulting in the tragedy at Richneck Elementary School.
