NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) — “A lot has changed.” It’s been a year since the classroom shooting in which a 6-year-old shot his teacher, Abby Zwerner, at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News. 10 On Your Side sat down with Zwerner in an interview to discuss the past year.
The incident that occurred on Jan. 6, 2023, shook the whole community. A 6-year-old boy, using his mother’s handgun, pulled a gun out while inside his first-grade classroom and fired one shot at Zwerner, his teacher. The bullet went through her hand and into her chest.
Zwerner said not only does she have physical scars from that day, but also emotional scars that will never go away.
The mother of the child and owner of the firearm, Deja Taylor, was sentenced back in November in connection to the incident. Zwerner, herself, is now suing the school for not taking action that could’ve prevented the situation.
The former first-grade teacher said that since that day, it has felt like her life was put on hold.
“I was moving forward in my career and looking forward to continuing my career year after year, then it just stopped,” Zwerner said.
The trauma she experienced because of the incident affected her both mentally and physically. Her memory of that day has been the same.
“The same thing that stuck out to me is the student’s look on his face when he pulled out the firearm and pointed it right at me,” Zwerner said. “That look — and the look after the firearm went off. Traumatic. Horrifying.”
She was looking forward to continuing her career, but that changed back in January of last year.
“I had to basically sit back and, you know, observe all of my friends continuing their careers and continuing their lives, and I feel like I had setbacks — but not fair setbacks,” Zwerner said.
To this day, Zwerner said she still has physical reminders of the incident.
“I still have a bullet — bullet fragments — that remain in my upper left chest and, you know, still some scars that those won’t go away either,” Zwerner said.
The lawsuit against Richneck Elementary School
Zwerner didn’t return to the classroom after that day in January of last year.
In June, 10 On Your Side obtained from Newport News Public Schools an email exchange between Zwerner and the NNPS Human Resources Department. The two identical emails were sent March 20 and May 22 with the subject line of “Exit Letter.” They stated that “NNPS has processed a separation of employment for you effective the close of business 06/12/2023.”
The one-page email from the Human Resources Department explained exiting information, per standard NNPS policy. The email outlined what items Zwerner was to turn in, where to address questions regarding leave balances, paychecks, VRS retirement plans and insurance benefits, and invited her to complete an exit questionnaire.
Zwerner’s attorney, Jeffrey Breit, said then, “I don’t think you can read this any other way than you’ve been fired.”
However, according to NNPS Spokesperson Michelle Price, Zwerner notified the school system in March that she would not be returning. In part of an email exchange between Zwerner and the division’s Human Resources Department, Zwerner said, simply: “I wish to resign. Thank you.”
The school district’s statement in part said, “Ms. Zwerner was an employee of Newport News Public Schools until June 12, 2023, the last day of her contract.”
According to Breit, Zwerner hadn’t been paid from February until June. He claimed they tried to make her take worker’s compensation, but when she wouldn’t take it, they just stopped paying her.
Zwerner is proceeding with a lawsuit against the school system over claims of negligence by the school administrators. A judge ruled back on Nov. 3, 2023 that the former teacher could proceed with her $40 million lawsuit despite the school’s argument that her incident falls under worker’s compensation.
The lawsuit alleges that the school ignored multiple warnings that the student had a gun and was in a violent mood.
“Abby relied on the protocol,” said attorney Diane Toscano. “She did what she thought was right. The school was put on notice multiple times that day and they failed each and every single time.”
Zwerner said she didn’t call 911 because she “did what [she] was expected to do.”
Despite the lawsuit moving forward, Toscano said nothing has really changed.
“The judge in November ruled that this is not worker’s compensation, but the Newport News School District is still maintaining, to this day, that it’s worker’s compensation — that being shot by a 6-year-old is just a mere hazard of the job,” Toscano said.
Even if Zwerner wins this lawsuit and gets the $40 million dollars, she said her life won’t go back to how it was before, and the amount of money won’t reverse the effects of that day.
“I now live with trauma in my life,” Zwerner said. “I live with PTSD, and that changes people. No matter what terror a person might go through, it always stays with them, and I know it’ll always stay with me.”
Breit said that no teacher should have to “expect this kind of violence” in the classroom. Breit said the school board needs to fix the issue and not expect these incidents to fall under worker’s compensation.
“It needs to be fixed,” Breit said. “This is just one teacher of many who face problems in our school system. The school system needs to fix the problem.”
As they prepare for the lawsuit, Breit said that a lot of problems regarding the school board are probably going to come out soon. He said they will be ready to put pressure on the school board, and expose the issues in court.
“If they want to try this case, we’ll be ready to try this case,” Breit said. “Hopefully they’ll reach their senses and want to talk. So far, that hasn’t happened.”
Zwerner was given the opportunity to read a victim impact statement during Deja Taylor’s sentencing, both at the state and federal level, and said it made her feel like she had a voice. She said she tried her best to keep private, but this was a chance for her to speak out.
“I enjoyed writing it,” Zwerner said. “… that was a chance for me to be able to share some of the thoughts that I’ve been having, some of the feelings that I’ve been having, some of the hardships that I’ve had. So it was hard to read it, you know, with people in the courtroom. It’s always hard with an audience, but it was a nice thing for me to do.”
Zwerner declined to comment on the mother or the child during her interview.
Trial against mother of the 6-year-old
The mother of the 6-year-old had her own court case after being charged with child neglect, since it was her gun used in the Richneck shooting.
Deja Taylor was sentenced to five years behind bars with three years suspended on Dec. 15, 2023. This sentence was given despite the prosecutor’s recommendation of six months.
Taylor initially told investigators she had secured her gun with a trigger lock, but investigators said they never found one. She is currently serving a 21-month sentence in prison for a November conviction for using marijuana while owning a gun. Investigators found nearly an ounce of marijuana in Taylor’s bedroom following the shooting.
She pleaded guilty to both the marijuana use as well as the child neglect in her two separate, but related, cases. She is expected to serve her two years following the completion of her 21-month sentence.
Taylor’s son told authorities he got his mother’s 9mm handgun by climbing onto a drawer to reach the top of a dresser, where the firearm was in his mom’s purse. He concealed the weapon in his backpack and then his pocket before shooting his teacher.
The child who shot Zwerner told a reading specialist who restrained him, “I shot that (expletive) dead,” and “I got my mom’s gun last night,” according to search warrants.
Taylor will not be allowed to have unsupervised visits with her child until he is 18 years old. He is currently 7.
Looking back to look ahead
In an attempt to replace a bad memory with a good one, Zwerner said she has forced herself to return to the school.
“I went to get my stuff and the reason why I kind of forced myself to go or made myself to go was I felt like I needed a somewhat good memory,” Zwerner told WAVY. “Rather to leave the school, rather than the last memory I had of being there, and definitely wanted to see some of my teacher friends — my coworkers.”
Her students are another thing Zwerner said she misses since leaving the school. She said it’s hard to think about the last memory they had of her before she left, but she is hopeful for their futures.
“I am very hopeful,” Zwerner said. “I am hopeful that I know they’re doing well in second grade, they’re all very smart and kind. So I hope that they’re still, you know, I hope that they’re moving forward with their lives in the best way that they can.”
She said she will always miss teaching, but doesn’t feel comfortable being an educator again anytime soon.
“I think that has to do a lot with the anxiety that I still have about it, the fear that I still have about it,” Zwerner said. “I can’t answer about the future, you know, but I know right now and for a long time I am not planning on going back.”
When the one year mark hits on Saturday, Jan. 6, Zwerner said she doesn’t know yet what she’s going to do — only that she doesn’t want to be alone.
“I don’t know what emotions will come over me,” Zwerner said. “I don’t know what flashbacks I’m going to have. But, you know, I’ve told my family that I at least don’t want to be alone on that day.”
Instead of focusing on what was lost, and dwelling on the lost teaching career, Zwerner is looking to move forward. She said she is making plans to travel down a new career path, and not get weighed down by the lawsuit and the heaviness of the incident.
“I have to pick myself up,” Zwerner said, “at least try to pick myself up and at least try to have a somewhat normal life again or try to somewhat feel like I have a normal life.”
Continue to check WAVY.com for updates.