13 news now at 11,
begins with a breaking update.
It happened again.
Another school shooting,
this one interrupting an otherwise
quiet afternoon at Richneck
Elementary in Newport News.
As we come on the air tonight,
a first grade teacher is in the hospital
with life threatening injuries.
The gunman, A6 year old boy,
is in custody. Earlier this evening,
police Chief Chief Steve Drew told
us the shooting was not an accident.
We have live team coverage.
Angelique Garren talk is live outside
Riverside Regional Medical Center with
more on how that teacher is doing.
But we start with Sarah Hammond,
who was at the school as parents were
reunited with their kids, Sarah.
Well, it's been a long day for these
families and teachers to say the least.
And what we know right now is a 6
year old student shot a teacher in a
classroom here at Richneck Elementary
and his parents waited in a long line
this afternoon to be reunited with their
students here on the basketball court.
There were plenty of hugs and tears.
Subject with a gun at
Richneck Elementary school.
Acknowledged parents in
Newport News are holding their
children close Friday night.
Therefore we have a female
victim shot in the abdomen.
Police say after
an argument in a classroom, a first grader
pulled out a handgun and shot his teacher.
This was not an accidental shooting.
Medics took the teacher to the hospital
with life threatening injuries.
There was some improvement.
The last update that we got As for
the six year old, we got the shooter.
Police Chief Steve Drew says the boy is
in custody and he has a lot of questions,
but I want to know where
that firearm came from.
When Jocelyn Glover got the message from
the school telling her someone was shot,
she came running.
My heart stopped.
I was freaking out,
very nervous, just wondering.
It was that one person.
My son, Tracy Debrew,
has a grandson at the school.
She says her heart dropped
when she heard what happened.
I'm thinking of the age of these
children and what they possibly were
going through at that time after
waiting in line to be reunited.
With their son and grandson,
both women say they felt like
they could breathe again.
Just
glad that he was OK and knowing that,
you know, it was over with and
now he's with his family. Ohh.
God I let up. Hold up my baby.
It's my baby. He's OK.
It's crazy world we live in.
And I spoke to two other mothers off camera.
One told me she waited in line
for almost 2 hours to be reunited
with her son this afternoon.
Another one told me this is the
second text message she's gotten
like this in the last two years.
Her son went to Heritage High School.
And if you'll remember,
last year a student opened
fire there at that school.
And so I think it's safe to say
while these parents are thrilled
they were reunited with their
students and their kids are safe,
they're heartbroken they had
to be exposed to this violence
at all live in Newport News.
For Hammond, 13 news now.
Sarah,
thank you, Angela.
Karen talk picks up
our team coverage now.
She is live from Riverside
Regional Medical Center,
where medics rushed the
teacher of this afternoon.
And Angelique, do we know how she's
doing tonight? What's the latest?
Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew
said during his latest press conference
that the teacher is dealing with life
threatening injuries at that time,
though they had heard about some
signs of improvement to her health.
We haven't yet learned of an
update since then, but drew,
as well as the new mayor in Newport News,
Phillip Jones, mentioned wanting
to come here to the hospital
Riverside regional to check in on the
teacher console her and her family.
A richneck elementary school teacher is
seriously hurt and in the hospital and
I'm in shock and and I'm disheartened
after Newport News authorities say
A6 year old boy who attends the
school fired a single shot inside
a first grade classroom today our
students got a lesson in gun violence.
And what guns can do to disrupt not only an
educational environment but also a family,
a Community School Superintendent
Doctor George Parker says part of the
divisions existing security measures
include random metal detection.
Parker believes a great deal of prevention
happens at home and in the community.
Access to weapons my,
my teachers cannot control access to weapons.
It comes on campus because
of access in the community.
And this is not a Newport News problem.
It's a bigger and broader problem
than what we're seeing today.
But Parker says administrators will
review safety protocol and whether
they should make adjustments.
Philip Jones,
who just officially became mayor
on January 1st,
pledges to do something similar.
There's going to be a full after action,
not only from internally of a City Council,
but school board and others.
But we are going to ensure that.
We have the right steps and policies
of this doesn't happen again.
Jones, Parker and the police chief
praised the emergency crews,
richneck faculty and the young students
for how they responded to the shooting.
It's a dark day for Newport News.
We're going to, we're going
to learn from this, and we're
going to come back stronger.
A Riverside Health spokesperson declined
to comment on the teachers condition,
citing privacy laws and the
ongoing police investigation.
Chief Drew did say the teacher
is in her 30s and at last
check badly hurt but improving.
So many in this community and beyond
are rooting for the teachers.
Full recovery live in Newport News.
Angelic Aaron talk 13 news now.
Yes, we are seeing lots of well
wishes online tonight. Angelique,
thank you. There will be no classes
at Richneck Elementary. On Monday,
Doctor Parker says the focus right
now is the mental health of students,
staff and of course, the recovery
of the teacher who was shot.