Six-Year-Old Boy Who Shot His Teacher Reportedly Choked Another Teacher

Richneck school reopens

Photo: The Washington Post

Disturbing information about behavioral issues shown by the six-year-old student who shot his teacher was revealed in legal filings by the teacher's lawyer.

The filings were obtained through a public records request by the Associated Press and detail several incidents of violence between the young boy and his classmates and teachers. Diane Toscano, an attorney for the injured teacher Abby Zwerner, wrote that the boy previously choked out another teacher "until she couldn't breathe."

The teacher told the AP that a teacher's assistant had to pull the boy off her and that school officials did not handle the situation adequately.

"I didn't feel safe the rest of the year because I knew if they didn't protect me when he choked me and I couldn't breathe, then they wouldn't protect me, my kids, or my colleagues, if he did something not as harmful," she said.

The boy was eventually removed from the class and transferred to another school.

The legal filing also details incidents that led up to the January 6 shooting. Two days earlier, the boy broke Zwerner's cell phone and was given a one-day suspension. When he returned to class, Zwerner was concerned because he was acting more violently than usual.

A couple of hours before the shooting, Zwener voiced her concerns to former Assistant Principal Ebony Parker. The filing places the blame for the shooting on Parker, who failed to act despite several reports that the student had a gun.

"Assistant Principal Parker should have called police," the filing says. "Instead, she did not follow proper protocol and chose to do absolutely nothing."

"If Assistant Principal (Ebony) Parker had acted on the information she was provided, then the shooting of Ms. Zwerner would not have happened," the notice continues.


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