Newly Released Bodycam Footage Shows 6-Year-Old Threatening Police After Shooting Teacher

Newly released bodycam footage shows a 6-year-old boy cursing and threatening police officers moments after he shot his first-grade teacher at Richneck Elementary School in Virginia. The incident occurred on January 6, 2023, when the child, identified as J.T., brought a 9mm handgun, stolen from his mother, to school and fired at teacher Abigail Zwerner.

The bodycam footage, obtained by the Virginian-Pilot, captures the defiant child sitting in the lap of reading specialist Amy Kovac, who restrained him until police arrived. In the video, the boy is heard shouting expletives and challenging the officers. "I don't care if I go to jail, b****," the child says in the recording. He also stated, "If you want a piece of me, come get it!" and "I stole that from my mom."

Kovac had entered the classroom to find the boy alone with the gun on the floor after Zwerner and other students had fled. Zwerner suffered gunshot wounds to her left hand and upper left chest, sustaining broken bones and a punctured lung. The lawsuit filed by Zwerner alleges that school administrators, including assistant principal Ebony Parker, ignored multiple warnings about the student's violent behavior prior to the shooting.

Parker was charged in connection with the incident but the charges were dismissed in May after she pleaded not guilty. A judge ruled that her actions did not constitute a crime under current law. In a separate civil case, Parker was ordered to pay Zwerner $10 million in a gross negligence lawsuit.

The boy's mother, Deja Taylor, pleaded guilty to felony child neglect and was sentenced to two years in prison. She also received a 21-month federal prison sentence for lying about drug use on a federal background check form when purchasing the firearm used in the shooting. The child is now in the custody of his great-grandfather and attending a new school. No criminal charges were filed against the student.