The boy’s family says he has an “acute disability” and was under their supervision weeks before the shooting.
The mother of a six-year-old who shot his teacher in the United States has been indicted by a grand jury on charges of child neglect and failing to properly secure a firearm in her home.
In a press release On Monday, Howard Gwynn – the Commonwealth attorney for Newport News, Virginia – stated that his office would continue to investigate the events and circumstances leading up to the shooting.
“Each criminal case is unique in its facts, and these facts support these allegations, but our investigation into the shooting continues,” Gwynn said.
The case is the latest to see a parent face criminal charges after their child committed a school shooting. A Michigan appeals court ruled last month that the parents of a teen accused of killing four students at his high school could face charges of involuntary manslaughter.
The Virginia case includes a charge of child neglect, which could carry a prison sentence of up to five years. The second, gun-related charge is a felony punishable by up to one year in prison.
The allegations stem from the events of January 6, when a 6-year-old boy shot at a 25-year-old first grade teacher named Abby Zwerner at Richneck Elementary School.
Newport News police chief Steve Drew described the shooting as deliberate. A single bullet from the firearm pierced Zwerner’s hand and chest.
After the shooting, the six-year-old’s family said he has an “acute disability” that would normally require a parent to accompany him to class under his care plan.
The week of the shooting, they said, was the first time a parent was not in his class.
Police say the boy’s mother bought the firearm legally, and her lawyer James Ellenson has said the gun was more than 6 feet off the ground on a shelf in her closet, with a trigger lock that required a key .
The family have said the boy has been placed in hospital following the shooting and is “getting the treatment he needs”.
Zwerner, the teacher, filed a $40 million lawsuit against the school administrators last week, alleging they failed to heed numerous warnings that the boy had a gun.
School officials have confirmed they received such warnings, but say they failed to find the firearm when searching the boy’s belongings.
Parents and teachers have also criticized administrators, saying teachers’ concerns were ignored and students who acted violently suffered few consequences.
In the lawsuit, Zwerner’s lawyers allege that school officials received numerous warnings that the boy was armed and in a “violent mood” on the day of the shooting, but ignored those warnings.
The grand jury that indicted the boy’s mother on Monday may still announce further charges against other defendants as it continues its investigation.
“The safety and security of Newport News students is of the utmost importance,” said Commonwealth attorney Gwynn. “The Special Grand Jury will consider whether additional charges against additional persons are warranted by the facts and the law.”
