Mother of Virginia 6-year-old who shot a teacher due for sentencing on child neglect
The mother of the Virginia first grader who shot his teacher in January is set for sentencing on Friday for felony child neglect.
Deja Taylor's son was 6 when he brought her gun to school and shot and injured Abby Zwerner on Jan. 6. Taylor pleaded guilty in August to child neglect in a deal with state prosecutors, who dropped allegations she endangered her child by recklessly leaving a loaded firearm in their home. She is facing up to six months in prison.
The shooting sparked conversations around the country about gun violence in schools and about children's access to firearms. The injured teacher is also suing the Newport News school district for $40 million, claiming school officials ignored warnings on the day of the shooting that the child had brought a gun to school. Zwerner was shot in the hand and chest. She was hospitalized for two weeks and underwent multiple surgeries.
What happened in the shooting?
Taylor's son, who has not been identified, shot Zwerner while she was reading to her first graders at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, a city of about 185,000 known for its ties to shipbuilding, officials have said.
School officials were warned repeatedly on the day of the shooting that the boy might have a gun, according to Zwerner's lawsuit. The suit also said the boy had a history of behavioral challenges and violence toward teachers, including a previous incident in which he reportedly choked a teacher.
Taylor has said her son had behavioral and learning disabilities and acknowledged he'd been suspended from school just before the shooting for breaking Zwerner's phone. She said he'd previously been required to attend school accompanied by a family member.
Mother said she accepts responsibility
Taylor told "Good Morning America" in May that she couldn't explain how her son got the gun, but said she took responsibility.
"I am, as a parent, obviously willing to take responsibility for him because he can't take responsibility," she said.
Her attorney said her guilty pleas in state and federal court "indicate her willingness to accept responsibility for her role in this terrible tragedy," Taylor's defense attorney, James Ellenson, said following her state plea in August.
Attorneys for Taylor previously said that the 9 mm handgun he used had been locked up, but investigators said they found no evidence it was stored securely.
Taylor's son told police after the shooting that he'd climbed up onto a dresser to take his mother's gun out of her purse, according to court records. "My mom had that gun," the boy told officers. "I stole it because I needed to shoot my teacher."
Taylor previously sentenced for federal gun charges
Taylor was separately convicted in federal court charges related to the gun the boy used. She admitted to using marijuana while owning a gun and lying about her marijuana use on a federal form. The court sentenced her in November to 21 months in prison on those charges.
Prosecutors said the case was about more than just her marijuana use. They cited another incident in which "someone nearly lost their lives" because of the same gun last year. In that incident, Taylor was accused of shooting at her son's father.
The 6-year-old is in the custody of a relative and is "doing well in school," Ellenson told USA TODAY. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, he was treated at a hospital for mental health issues, the family's lawyer previously told USA TODAY. Officials have said he is too young to be prosecuted in the shooting.
Ellenson previously said Taylor suffered from drug addiction and had experienced miscarriages and domestic abuse. He told court officials he hoped her circumstances would be taken into account as mitigating factors during the sentencing, asking the judge to suspend any jail sentence. Taylor's attorneys said incarceration was not the solution to her problems, which stemmed from addiction and mental health issues.
"Deja obviously has substance abuse and mental health issues which the 21-month sentence from federal court will address," Ellenson told USA TODAY earlier this week.
Contributing: Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY