Newly released body-camera footage shows the chaotic moments after a six-year-old boy shot his teacher at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, including his confrontation with police and his admission that he had taken the gun from his mother.
The footage, which lasts less than three minutes, was recorded after Abby Zwerner was shot in her classroom on 6 January 2023. It had been used as evidence in court but had not previously been made public.
Officers entering the room found reading specialist Amy Kovac restraining the child. She told them he had admitted to having a weapon and pointed out the firearm, which was recovered from the classroom floor.
The boy behaved combatively as officers tried to establish whether he had been injured. He said he was not hurt when he fired the gun and showed his hands, which appeared to officers to contain gunshot residue.
When asked where he had obtained the weapon, the boy replied: “My mom had that. I stole that from my mom.” He also told officers he did not care if they called for back-up or if he went to prison.
The footage captures the child repeatedly swearing at Ms Kovac and the responding officers. At one point, he appears to strike the reading specialist before being escorted from the classroom.
A judge agreed to unseal the video after the Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press sought its release. The boy’s face and identifying details were redacted before it was made public.
Zwerner was shot once. The bullet passed through her hand and lodged in her chest, while 16 pupils fled the classroom before she collapsed in a school office.
Because of his age, the child was too young to face criminal charges under Virginia law. His mother was later sentenced to nearly two years in prison, while Zwerner was awarded $10 million in a civil case against former assistant principal Ebony Parker.
