Deja Nicole Taylor Newport News, Virginia Shooting: Six-Year-Old Shoots Teacher at Richneck Elementary After Taking Mother’s Gun

Newly unsealed body-camera footage has provided a detailed look at the chaotic moments after a six-year-old student shot his first-grade teacher at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, in January 2023.

The shooting occurred on January 6, 2023, when the child brought a 9mm Taurus handgun to school after taking it from his mother. During the incident, the boy pulled the weapon from his clothing inside a classroom and fired one round at teacher Abby Zwerner. The bullet struck her hand before entering her chest. Sixteen students reportedly fled the classroom as the shooting unfolded.

Despite being seriously wounded, Zwerner managed to make her way toward the school office before collapsing. She survived the shooting but has continued to deal with the lasting consequences of her injuries.

Body-camera footage from Officer Brian Torrez shows officers arriving shortly afterward. The child was being restrained by reading specialist Amy Kovac inside another room when police entered. According to the footage described in the newly released material, the boy remained defiant and used profanity toward adults and responding officers.

Police also recovered the handgun inside the school. The weapon reportedly still contained seven rounds after the first shot was fired and the gun jammed.

Court records indicated that the child had taken the firearm from his mother’s purse earlier that morning. He reportedly climbed onto a dresser to access the weapon before placing it in his backpack and bringing it to school.

The case led to criminal proceedings against his mother, Deja Nicole Taylor, who pleaded guilty to felony child neglect and received a two-year sentence. Questions were also raised about warnings reportedly given to school administrators concerning the possibility that the child had a firearm.

Zwerner subsequently pursued civil action, seeking accountability over the circumstances that allowed the weapon to enter the school and the warnings that preceded the shooting.

The incident continues to underscore the potentially devastating consequences of unsecured firearms in homes with children. The shooting left a teacher seriously wounded and profoundly affected students, educators, families, and the wider Newport News community.