School was informed of possible gun with six-year-old who shot teacher

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The US primary school where a six-year-old student shot his teacher was previously warned that he might have a gun on him.

However, the warning was later dismissed after they found nothing in his backpack, local authorities said on Friday.

A six-year-old boy, who is now in police custody, shot his teacher at Richneck Elementary school in Newport News, Virginia, on Friday, January 6.

The victim, as confirmed by Police Chief Steve Drew to reporters, 25-year-old female teacher Abigail Zwerner, suffered potentially “life-threatening” wounds; however, her condition remains improved but not fully.

A handgun was used in the incident, but police do not know how the child came into possession of the firearm, as Drew added that it was an isolated incident in the classroom and not a mass shooting like the US is used to experiencing almost daily. 

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The school's superintendent George Packer said to parents that one of the school's administrators was warned that the boy might be in a possession of a gun, a spokesperson for the city's schools Michelle Price stated to AFP.

Parker said to them "that the 6-year-old student's backpack was searched by a school staff member after it was reported that the student may have a weapon. No weapon was found," Price added.

However, the superintendent did not disclose how they acquired the information that the student had a gun.

A spokesperson for the Newport News police, Kelly King, stated that one of the school staff was informed that a possible gun was at school premises before that shooting.

The police were not notified of the gun, King added.

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The child, whose identity remains anonymous, is not likely to face charges due to his very young age, even if the shooting was deemed intentional.

His parents however might face charges for allowing him easy access to a handgun.

Not only have school shootings constantly made headlines in the US this past year, but guns have been increasingly more accessible to children, as several incidents across the country have shown. Shootings among school children have been evident in Atlanta and Chicago, and this comes in light of the 10th anniversary of the tragic Sandy Hook shooting that claimed the lives of 20 children.

2022 was also the year in which every news headline in the world spoke of the Uvalde shooting in Texas that claimed the lives of 19 children amid an extremely slow police response.