NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) – The family of a 6-year-old boy who shot and wounded his teacher in Virginia on Thursday said the gun he used was “safe.”
The family’s statement given by a lawyer did not detail where exactly the 9mm gun was placed. The family has not been identified.
“Our family has always been committed to gun ownership and keeping guns out of children’s reach,” the statement said. “The gun found by our son was secured.”
The family also stated that the boy “suffered from a disability and was under a care plan at school that included his mother or father studying with him and accompanying him to class every day.”
The family said the week of the shooting “was the first week we weren’t in class with him. We will mourn our loss today for the rest of our lives.”
The statement was issued by the office of Newport News attorney James S. Ellenson.
The shooting happened on January 6 while Abigail Zwerner was teaching her first grade class at Richneck Elementary in Newport News.
The bullet pierced Zwerner’s arm and hit his chest. The 25-year-old teacher rushed out of the classroom before rushing to the hospital.
Police in Newport News said that the mother of the 6-year-old boy bought the gun illegally but it is not certain how her son got it.
Virginia law prohibits possession of a firearm by a child under the age of 14, a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison. year and a fine of $2,500. No charges have been brought against the mother.