Newly released body camera footage from January 2023 shows a 6-year-old boy using profanity and directing it at police officers and a reading specialist shortly after he shot his teacher at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia. The video, which has been edited to protect the boy's identity, captures the first grader's aggressive behavior while he was being physically restrained.
During the incident, the boy can be heard saying, "Fuck you, bitch," to the reading specialist and, "Both y’all want a fucking piece of me, bitch?" to the arriving officers. He also stated that the firearm he used was stolen from his mother. "I stole that from my mom," he told the officers. "I don’t care if you call backup. I don’t care if I go to jail, bitch."
The Shooting and its Aftermath
The boy's teacher, Abby Zwerner, was wounded in the hand and chest and escaped the classroom with her 16 students before collapsing in the school office. She survived after multiple surgeries and a nearly two-week hospital stay. Zwerner was awarded $10 million in a lawsuit against the school's former assistant principal, Ebony Parker, who reportedly ignored warnings about the child having a gun. Parker has appealed the verdict.
Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, is seen three weeks after the Jan. 6, 2023, shooting.
The boy later told authorities he took the firearm from his mother's purse, which was on a dresser at home. The child was not criminally charged due to his age.
Release of the Video
The bodycam footage was unsealed by the Newport News Circuit Court following a motion filed by The Virginian-Pilot and the Daily Press. The newspapers argued that withholding the video violated the First Amendment, stating it offered insight into the child's circumstances and the challenges faced by educators. They acknowledged the potential for public backlash but emphasized the public interest.
Legal Proceedings and Family Statements
The boy's mother, Deja Taylor, was sentenced in 2023 to nearly four years in prison on charges of felony child neglect and federal weapons offenses. She was released in February, according to The Virginian-Pilot.
In a 2024 interview, the boy's great-grandfather, Calvin Taylor, a retired U.S. Army drill sergeant, spoke about raising the child. He described his great-grandson as a victim and mentioned that his mother had sought help from social services before the shooting, but there was no follow-up. He expressed gratitude that the child understands the gravity of his actions and will not be defined by them.
Abigail Zwerner shares a moment with her mother after a verdict was reached in her lawsuit against the assistant principal, Ebony Parker, of Richneck Elementary School in 2025.
