Current:Home > reviewsMother of 6-year-old boy who shot his Virginia teacher faces two new federal charges -Dynamic Money Growth
Mother of 6-year-old boy who shot his Virginia teacher faces two new federal charges
Chainkeen View
Date:2025-04-11 03:47:32
The mother of a 6-year-old boy accused of shooting and seriously wounding his first-grade teacher earlier this year in Virginia faces two new federal charges, according to court documents filed on Monday.
Deja Taylor is accused of unlawfully using a controlled substance while in possession of a firearm and making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm. The new charges follow felony charges filed in April accusing Taylor of child neglect and endangerment.
Taylor "knowingly made a false and fictitious written statement to Winfree Firearms," a gun shop in Grafton, Va., from which she purchased a 9mm semiautomatic handgun, court documents filed with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia allege. The documents also allege that Taylor falsely claimed on Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives application forms that she did not use marijuana despite unlawfully using the drug.
Abby Zwerner, a 25-year-old teacher at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, was shot in the hand and chest by a student on Jan. 6 as she sat at a reading table in her classroom. She spent nearly two weeks in the hospital and has had four surgeries since the shooting.
While the boy was not charged in connection with the shooting, a grand jury returned an indictment charging his mother with "felony child neglect and misdemeanor recklessly leaving a loaded firearm so as to endanger a child," Newport News Commonwealth's Attorney Howard Gwynn said in April. Taylor will return to court in August to face those charges, CBS affiliate WTVR reported.
The boy used his mother's gun, police said, which had been purchased legally.
Family members said the gun was secured. They also noted the 6-year-old boy suffers from an acute disability.
Zwerner in April filed a $40 million lawsuit, accusing school officials of gross negligence for allegedly ignoring multiple warnings that the boy had a gun and was in a "violent mood" on the day of the shooting.
S. DevS. Dev is a news editor for CBSNews.com.
veryGood! (83995)
Related
- 'As foretold in the prophecy': Elon Musk and internet react as Tesla stock hits $420 all
- Toyota recalls 1 million vehicles for airbag issues: Check to see if yours is one of them
- UN says up to 300,000 Sudanese fled their homes after a notorious group seized their safe haven
- 'Not suitable' special from 'South Park' spoofs online influencers, Logan Paul and more
- Macy's says employee who allegedly hid $150 million in expenses had no major 'impact'
- US Army resumes process to remove Confederate memorial at Arlington National Cemetery
- EU court: FIFA and UEFA defy competition law by blocking Super League
- Tearful Michael Bublé Shares Promise He Made to Himself Amid Son's Cancer Battle
- Alex Murdaugh’s murder appeal cites biased clerk and prejudicial evidence
- Oregon man is convicted of murder in the 1978 death of a teenage girl in Alaska
Ranking
- Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
- GM buys out nearly half of its Buick dealers across the country, who opt to not sell EVs
- Oprah identifies this as 'the thing that really matters' and it's not fame or fortune
- A US neurosurgeon's anguish: His family trapped in Gaza is 'barely staying alive'
- Behind on your annual reading goal? Books under 200 pages to read before 2024 ends
- Mississippi’s State Board of Education names new superintendent
- Naiomi Glasses on weaving together Native American art, skateboarding and Ralph Lauren
- Wells Fargo workers at New Mexico branch vote to unionize, a first in modern era for a major bank
Recommendation
Why members of two of EPA's influential science advisory committees were let go
Polish viewers await state TV’s evening newscast for signs of new government’s changes in the media
Myanmar’s military should be investigated for war crimes, Amnesty International says
Vanilla Gift card issuer faces lawsuit over card-draining scam risk
Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
Here are some ways you can reduce financial stress during the holidays
US defense secretary makes unannounced visit to USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier defending Israel
Storm prompts evacuations, floods, water rescues in Southern California: Live updates