Parents wonder how Virginia boy shot teacher after searching backpack

NEWPORT NEWS, Virginia. Parents of an elementary school in Virginia, where a 6-year-old boy shot a first grade teacher this month, are demanding answers about how the child managed to use the weapon after his backpack was searched.

“It doesn’t make sense to me. If the backpack was searched, then it was not searched properly,” said Desiree Yvette, whose 6-year-old daughter witnessed the January 6 shooting at Richneck Primary School, which left Abigail Zwerner critically injured.

Yvette continued, “They didn’t physically go in there to make sure there was nothing there. If so, then someone must have seen it. They should have looked elsewhere if they felt the need to look. And if they didn’t, they failed.”

Yvette was among a group of Richneck’s parents who spoke to NBC News on Sunday and asked how thoroughly the child, his backpack and the school were searched before the shooting in Zwerner’s class when she taught about 20 students.

According to officials, Zwerner survived and is recovering.

School system chief George Parker III said Thursday in a virtual town hall that was not public that the boy was late for school and that his bag of books had been checked when he arrived at the office to sign, according to parents who watched the meeting.

“At least one administrator has been alerted to a possible weapon,” Parker said in a video viewed by NBC News.

A Newport News police spokeswoman said that during the investigation, authorities also found that “an employee of the school was notified of the possible presence of firearms at Richneck Elementary School before the shooting occurred,” adding: “The Newport News Police Department was not notified of this information prior to the incident.” “.

More detailed information about who conducted the search, why the gun was not found and whether the child’s clothes were examined, is not reported.

Thomas Britton, 35, questioned steps taken by school authorities after they learned a child might have smuggled a gun into school.

“You’ve got a tip, a search, and a shot,” said Britton, who inquired if the child had been dragged out of the classroom and if his parents had been notified that the boy was suspected of stealing weapons on campus.

“What they did, like look into the backpack and say, ‘I don’t see a gun. Back to class? Britton said. “If someone said that my child brought a weapon, I would like to be notified and I would also like to be removed from the class until he is dealt with.”

Britton’s son was supposed to be in Zwerner’s class at the time of the shooting, but was absent because he had a medical procedure.

Daughter Yvette was there, although her mother wished she wasn’t.

Yvette, 31, said the spectacle of horror in Zwerner’s class traumatized the girl.

She burst into tears as she spoke of her daughter’s pain.

“She’s scared of everything and everyone right now,” Yvette said. “She doesn’t feel safe. Her teacher was her biggest advocate, Mrs. Zwerner. And to experience it and see it, she doesn’t feel safe because the person who was her safety at that school has been hurt. She’s afraid that anyone she loves and cares about will get hurt because of it.”

Mark Anthony Garcia, 38, said his second grade son was “shocked” after hearing the gunshot and then tried to help the crying students.

Garcia said he was upset that the administration did not immediately notify parents after the shooting. “As soon as this became known, many parents rushed to the school in mass confusion,” Garcia said.

He also said that there was no security officer who could properly check the boy’s identity for weapons. “They didn’t have security there in the morning. I am there every day. We don’t have security there in the morning.”

Now, Garcia says, he wants to know “who will be held accountable” for security breaches at the school.

The district authorities announced last week that Richneck will be equipped with a metal detector. The District has provided funding for 90 state-of-the-art metal detectors to be installed in all of the district’s schools. Richneck was closed after the shooting, officials said.

There were three incidents of gun violence in the school district in 17 months.

Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew said the investigation was ongoing.

He previously stated that the child’s mother legally bought the 9mm Taurus firearm that was fired and that the boy took it from the house. According to Drew, the key to the investigation is whether it was properly protected.

Drew said Sunday that the investigation entails looking into the history of the boy and his parents. He also said that student witnesses would be interviewed.

“If there are any Child Protective Services records, we want to look at them. If there are any school records relating to behavioral issues or anything in general relating to violence, threats,” he said, those reports will also be investigated.

Drew added: “Unfortunately, we want to talk – I wish we didn’t have to, but to be thorough, we want to do our best to talk to the students that were in the room. And we will work with a child psychologist who will conduct these interviews for us.”

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com.

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