The mother of a 6-year-old student who shot his first grade teacher in Newport News, Virginia, in January was indicted by a Virginia grand jury on Monday.
Deja Taylor, the mother of the unnamed student, was charged with felony child neglect and a misdemeanor of recklessly leaving a loaded firearm so as to endanger a child, according to Newport News prosecutor Howard Gwynn.
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“Every criminal case is unique in its facts, and these facts support these charges, but our investigation into the shooting continues,” Gwynn said in a statement.
The firearm legally belonged to Taylor. An attorney for Taylor said both parents were “committed to responsible gun ownership and keeping firearms out of the reach of children.” The attorney said they tried to keep the firearm used in the shooting away from the child, according to the Guardian.
The 6-year-old, who has a severe disability, badly wounded his first grade teacher, 25-year-old Abigail Zwerner, at Richneck Elementary School on Jan. 6. The incident occurred after school administrators were warned that the child possessed a gun and was in a “violent mood” at the school. The boy will not face any criminal charges.
The shooting occurred while Zwerner was sitting at a table. She had gotten into an argument with the student. Zwerner was shot in the hand and chest, and she spent two weeks in a hospital. She has since filed a $40 million lawsuit against the school board.
The indictments are the latest in a trend of prosecutors holding parents responsible for minors who commit mass shootings. A Michigan appeals court allowed involuntary manslaughter charges for the parents of then-15-year-old school shooter Ethan Crumbley last month.
In February, a father in Illinois was arraigned on charges that he helped his son obtain a gun that was used to kill seven people at a Fourth of July parade.
Additional charges could be brought forward in the future against other people, according to Gwynn, who is requesting that the Virginia Circuit Court impanel a “special grand jury” to continue investigating the shooting.
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“The safety and security of Newport News students is of utmost importance. The Special Grand Jury will investigate to determine whether additional charges against additional persons are justified by the facts and the law,” Gwynn said.
“If the Special Grand Jury determines that additional persons are criminally responsible under the law, it can return additional indictments,” he added.
