As investigators try to figure out how a young child could be involved in a school shooting, a Virginia teacher who a 6-year-old student in Newport News shot is making progress, the city’s mayor said on Saturday.
The instructor, a 30-year-old woman, is still hospitalized, but Newport News Mayor Phillip Jones said her health is “moving healthily.”
The teacher and her family met with police chief Steve Drew on Saturday morning.
According to a news statement from the police, “She has improved and is currently listed in stable condition.”
According to officials, the child shot the teacher with a firearm in a first-grade classroom at Richneck Elementary School on Friday. Drew said that the shooting was not an accident and was a result of a fight.
No college students were hurt.
Police refused to provide additional information on what transpired in the classroom on Saturday, citing the ongoing investigation.
Jones declined to provide information about the shooting, including who owned the pistol or how the boy obtained it.
Jones declared, “This is a red flag for the nation.”
“I believe there will be a national discussion on how these kinds of things can be prevented following this tragedy,” the speaker said.
Virginia law prohibits trying 6-year-olds as adults.
Furthermore, a 6-year-old is too young to be placed in the Department of Juvenile Justice’s custody if found guilty.
However, a juvenile court judge can revoke parental custody and transfer a child to the Department of Social Services.
Jones remained mum about the boy’s detention location.
Jones added, “We are ensuring he has all the resources he needs right now.
According to experts researching gun violence, it is highly unusual for a small child to bring a pistol to school and injure a teacher.
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