Police believe the six year old boy got the gun from his home.
The gun was legally purchased by his mother.
We don't know what efforts were made to secure that gun, but apparently,
allegedly the kid got the gun the morning up, put it in his backpack,
brought it to school and then pulled it out during the lesson,
pointed it at his teacher and fired, police say.
>> We've learned new details about a tragic shooting that took place in
Virginia last friday involving a six year old boy who shot his teacher in class.
Now before you feel any panic, luckily the teacher is in stable condition,
is expected to make a recovery.
But the event, in my opinion, demonstrates that in the bare minimum states need to
pass laws that hold parents accountable for not securing their guns.
We'll get to that in a moment.
But first some details on the story.
According to Newport News Police Police Chief Steve Drew, he says the teacher
was providing class instruction when the six year old child displayed a firearm,
pointed it at her, meaning the teacher and fired one round.
There was no physical struggle or fight, and as you can imagine,
since this involves a minor, it's a little different from stories involving
adults where you get a lot more detail about how the incident occurred.
Minors have a lot more privacy and protection for good reason, but
we do know some other details.
The teacher raised her hand and was shot through her hand and into her chest.
The police department received a call informing them that a teacher had been
shot, when police officers arrived to the classroom where the shooting happened five
minutes later,
they saw the boy was being physically restrained by a school employee.
Now the six year old was reportedly combative and
struck the employee who was trying to restrain him.
Officers took control, escorting the six year old out of the building and
into a police car.
According to police, the shooting was not accidental and was intentional.
In fact, here's a description from Abby Werner who is the incredible
25 year old teacher and what she did after she was shot.
>> Even after she was wounded, she evacuated the class.
In fact, that was one of the things that the local police chief here praised her
for, called her a hero.
She evacuated the other students.
She's seen on security camera, the chief says, walking down the hallway,
making sure she was the last one out of the classroom and
as she's walking down the hallway wounded, she turns around and
goes back to make sure everybody, all of the kids were out of the class.
She then went to the office where she sought aid and collapsed.
Paramedics rushed to the scene here.
>> So the student has been taken into custody.
He's a six year old.
So obviously, and for good reason, he's not going to be charged as an adult and
I don't think he's going to be charged as a juvenile either.
So, I mean, the cops are saying that it was intentional, but
still it's a six year old.
So he cannot be placed in a juvenile detention center based on Virginia law.
He could, however, be criminally charged anyway.
Now as for his mother,
I think that is where we should be focusing the conversation because she's
the one who purchased the nine millimeter handgun that was used in the shooting.
It was not clear whether, I mean, actually,
no, I'm not going to play this game.
It is clear she did not secure the gun safely and
the six year old was able to obtain it and take it to school, okay?
But the problem with Virginia is that should she be prosecuted for
this, the worst that could happen to her is a misdemeanor, okay?
She would only be liable for a class one misdemeanor,
because we don't have serious laws in this country that we should have in place to
prevent kids from getting their hands on their parents guns.
>> Yeah.
I think that we should pass laws.
It'll never happen because the gun lobby and
because all of our politicians are corrupt.
But I think a huge percentage of Americans would agree with me,
pass laws saying that if your child, a minor under the age of 18 commits a crime
with a gun you bought and did not secure, you're going to be charged for that crime.
Why not?
I mean, where were they going to get the gun?
You gift wrapped it for them.
So look, I have kids and I remember when they were six, don't charge that kid.
Six year olds don't know what they're doing.
Yeah, he might have intended to shoot her.
I get it, yes, they can have intent, right?
But does he know what he's doing?
No.
Does he have the same state of mind as an adult?
No way, okay?
But we live in a culture where guns are super celebrated.
Yeah, everybody have guns.
They have guns everywhere.
Guns are the most wonderful thing in the world.
They protect, you know, they kill you and so they kill people.
That's what they're literally designed to do.
And so, and tons and tons of millions upon millions of Americans have
guns in their house and they do not keep them safe and responsibly.
They just don't, like everyone's going to see people on TV.
No, no, well, you could have responsible gun owners.
Maybe you're responsible gun owner and I'm not sure I'm buying that either.
But even if you are, it doesn't mean that everybody is,
there's no question- >> Correct.
>> that there are literally millions that are not at all responsible with it.
And so I think that mom should be charged as high as you could possibly charge her,
a misdemeanor is a joke.
If that teacher had died, I'd charge her with murder.
>> Yeah.
So, we'll see what happens.
But considering the state laws they have in Virginia pertaining to the lack
of secure, like the lack of effort and securing the gun, so
kids don't get their hands on it.
I don't think the mom is really going to face real consequences for this, and
that's what's so incredibly depressing about this story.