A school administrator in Newport News, Virginia, was alerted to a possible weapon on a 6-year-old boy before a first-grade teacher was shot, but a search of the student’s backpack that morning turned up nothing, district officials said. school.
The warning was revealed during a virtual town hall Thursday night for parents of students at Richneck Elementary School, where the Jan. 6 shooting raised concerns about possible security lapses at the kindergarten through fifth-grade institution. Superintendent Dr. George Parker III said the boy was late for school and his backpack was searched upon arriving at the office to sign in, according to parents who viewed City Hall, which was not public.
«At least one administrator was notified of a possible weapon,» Parker said in video reviewed by NBC News.
But no further details were released about who conducted the search, why the gun was not found and whether the boy’s clothing was physically examined.
A Newport News Public Schools spokeswoman said Friday that questions remain about the schedule and she could not immediately say when the notice was received or by whom.
A Newport News police spokeswoman said authorities also determined through their ongoing investigation that «a school employee was notified of a possible firearm at Richneck Elementary prior to the shooting. The Police Department Newport News was not notified of this information prior to the incident.»
First-grade teacher Abigail Zwerner, 25, was shot through the hand and upper chest by a Taurus 9mm firearm, police said. Her condition, initially considered life-threatening, has improved to stable and she is speaking, according to police.
Earlier Thursday, Newport News School Board President Lisa Surles-Law said the district will install metal detectors at all schools, starting with Richneck.
It did not disclose the cost of the detectors or a timeline for installation.
No students were injured and the 6-year-old boy was taken into custody after the incident.
A court-ordered temporary detention order was placed on the boy, who is «currently receiving treatment at a medical facility,» authorities said. Police previously said there was no warning or fight before the shooting, which Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew described as intentional.
Authorities on Thursday declined to release additional details about the shooting, citing the investigation.
The student’s mother legally purchased the gun used in the shooting, according to Newport News police. Authorities have not specified how the boy got hold of him.
Experts say the boy is unlikely to be charged, but his parents could be criminally guilty depending on whether they failed to properly secure the gun. Virginia law prohibits leaving a loaded gun where it is accessible to a child under the age of 14 as a misdemeanor.
School shootings by children this young are extremely rare, as is the use of metal detectors in schools, particularly at the elementary level.
During the 2019-20 school year, less than 2% of public elementary schools conducted random metal detector checks on students and schools, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. The figures were 10% for middle schools and 14.8% for high schools.
Some parents of Richneck students said they support metal detectors, as well as the use of clear backpacks, another safety measure being explored.
Mark Anthony Garcia Sr., the parent of a second-grader, said school administrators need to be more transparent about how the student brought a gun to school and why some parents, like him, only found out about the incident from coverage. of news.
«They still need to talk about who is going to be responsible for not getting all the information out there to all the parents and who is going to be responsible for the neglect of security. They still need to talk about who is going to be responsible for not getting all the information out there to all the parents, and who will be responsible for the security negligence of the situation,» Garcia said. «And they still need to talk about how the security steps were lost and what was the security policy in place that failed us on January 6, 2023.»
Parents and staff have said there also needs to be broader conversations about emotional and mental health among students, as well as firearm safety and access. Officials said there will be mental health doctors for students and staff when classes resume, and a full-time security officer will be posted at the school.
elizabeth chuck, Antonio Planas Y The Associated Press contributed.
