School officials in Virginia were told that a 6-year-old boy might have had a weapon on him when he got to school on the morning of Jan. 6, two and a half hours before he allegedly shot his teacher in the chest. Newport News Public Schools superintendent George Parker told parents in a meeting Thursday night that “at least one administrator was notified of a possible weapon... and was aware that that student had, there was a potential that there was a weapon on campus.” The boy’s backpack was searched that morning but nothing was found, he said. Abigail Zwerner, a 25-year-old first-grade teacher at Richneck Elementary, was shot during class without any warning or prior struggle. She was initially in critical condition but is now stable. The boy’s mom owned the 9mm handgun legally but it’s unclear how he got his hands on it. He’s being held at a medical facility for now while a judge determines what’s next. The district said it would install metal detectors at Richneck and consider other changes like requiring clear backpacks.
