First grader shoots teacher in US, mother indicted

A grand jury in Newport News, Virginia, where the incident took place in early January, charged the woman with two charges, prosecutor Howard Gwynn said Monday (local time). She is accused of neglecting her child and endangering him by negligently storing a loaded firearm.

The six-year-old brought a gun to school on January 6 and shot his teacher in the chest. The 25-year-old suffered life-threatening injuries. No one was hurt except her. According to the police, the teacher managed to get all the students out of the classroom. After the crime, it was revealed that the gun belonged to the boy’s mother. According to the police, she had obtained the weapon legally and kept it at home.

“Each criminal case is unique in its facts, and the facts support the two counts, but our investigation into the gun incident continues,” said District Attorney Gwynn. He has requested that a special grand jury be set up to determine whether additional charges against other individuals are warranted. “The safety of Newport News students is of paramount importance,” he wrote.

Virginia law prohibits storing a loaded gun where it is accessible to children under the age of 14. According to American media, the boy’s mother is a 26-year-old woman. A grand jury consists of jurors who decide in a closed hearing whether facts presented by prosecutors warrant an indictment.

School incidents involving such young shooters are also rare in the United States. The events in Newport News underline the ongoing threat of gun violence in schools across the United States. Just two weeks ago, three children and three adults were killed in a shooting at an elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee. (sda/dpa)