The Virginia mother of a 6-year-old who shot his first-grade teacher has pleaded guilty to felony child neglect Tuesday, police confirmed.
Deja Taylor’s son used a gun to shoot his teacher, Abigal Zwerner at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News on January 6. The shooting left her with hand and chest wounds, reports say.
“My mom had that gun. I stole it because I needed to shoot my teacher,” the 6-year-old said after the shooting, according to authorities.
Taylor bought the gun and left it on the top shelf of her bedroom closet. At the time, the weapon was secured by a trigger lock, Taylor’s attorney James Ellenson told CNN. But investigators refute Ellenson’s claims, stating that there was no trigger lock and no key to the trigger lock.
Police say Taylor’s son stood on a dresser drawer and took the gun out of his mother’s purse. He then placed the weapon in his backpack and took it to school.
“The boy had been seen playing with a gun at his grandmother’s and said he wanted to go to a shooting range, authorities said,” according to the CNN report. “The felony child neglect charge has a maximum statutory sentence of five years in prison. However, per a plea agreement, prosecutors have said they will not seek a punishment beyond the sentencing guidelines of six months.”
The judge presiding over the case, Judge Chris Papile, said he “reserves the right to sentence outside that recommendation.”
Taylor is set to be sentenced October 18.
Meanwhile, the 6-year-old is in the custody of his great-grandfather and will not be charged with a crime, Newport News Commonwealth’s Attorney Howard Gwynn has said.
The child has “extreme emotional issues” and is currently in therapy where he is showing improvement, Ellenson told CNN.
Taylor, who has no criminal record, has cooperated with police since the shooting. She turned herself in to police and was later released on a $5,000 bond.
