NEWPORT NEWS, VA — The mother of a 6-year-old student who police say intentionally shot his first-grade teacher pleaded guilty Tuesday in a Virginia court.
Deja Taylor, 26, was charged with felony child neglect and could spend up to six months in state prison based on prosecutors’ recommendation. The woman will be sentenced on October 27.
As part of a plea agreement, a separate charge, a misdemeanor charge of recklessly leaving a loaded firearm to endanger a child, was dropped, allowing Taylor to avoid a potential prison sentence of up to six years.
Abigail Zwerner, the teacher in the shooting at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, was seriously injured in the hand and chest as a result of the shooting.
Court documents released last week revealed that the student would have accepted the facts.
“I shot that (expletive) to death” and “I did it. I took my mother’s gun last night,” the court documents conclude.
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In an interview with TODAY, Abigail Zwerner offered details of her recovery, the tense moments leading up to the incident, and the ongoing lawsuit.
