Police said a male six-year-old student deliberately shot his adult female teacher in school Friday afternoon at Richneck Elementary in Newport News, Virginia. No one else was wounded. The alleged shooter is in custody. The teacher is hospitalized with a life-threatening wound but had shown signs of improvement.
The Virginian-Pilot reported on a classmate who witnessed the shooting (excerpt):
Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew said a 6-year-old boy was involved in “an altercation” with his teacher before he shot her with a handgun. The boy was taken into custody. No students were injured. The teacher, a woman in her 30s, has life-threatening injuries.
A 6-year-old student, whose mother didn’t want her daughter’s name used, said she witnessed the shooting. The girl told a Daily Press reporter that one of her first grade classmates shot their teacher “on purpose.”
The teacher was shot in the stomach and fell to her knees, the girl said.
Video of the police press conference via WKTR-TV/Facebook:
Police chief Steve Drew confirmed to us that a 6-year-old first grade student has been identified as the shooting suspect at a 5:30 p.m. press conference. The chief also stated that the shooting was not accidental.
The shooting took place inside a classroom, Drew stated.
No students were injured in this incident, which occurred around 2 p.m., police said, but tactical teams were sent into the building.
Local report posted earlier shows concerned parents gathering outside the school: