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The six-year-old Virginia student who shot his elementary school teacher before launching into a profane verbal tirade against responding educators and law enforcement did not face criminal charges related to the attack.
Instead, court records reveal that the child, publicly identified only as J.T., was ordered to undergo 227 days of inpatient psychiatric confinement after shooting his first-grade teacher, Abby Zwerner, inside a classroom at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News on January 6, 2023.
Newly released police bodycam footage captured the aftermath of the shooting, showing the youth cursing at responding officers while reading specialist Amy Kovac physically restrained him.
"Both y’all want a f–king piece of me, bitch?!" the child yelled at responding officers, according to the video footage, before adding, "F–k you, bitch."
The bodycam recording also captured the moment officers located the weapon—a 9mm Taurus handgun, on the classroom floor. When questioned about the origin of the firearm, the child acknowledged taking the weapon from home, stating, "I stole that from my mom."
Speaking to officers at the scene, Kovac provided context regarding the student's behavioral history and modified school schedule.
"He has been on a modified schedule. His mother is to pick him up at 2:30. This is his first week without his mother coming to school with him," Kovac said in the recording.
Under Virginia law, young children are protected by the legal doctrine of infancy, which holds that children under the age of seven lack the legal capacity to form criminal intent, rendering them immune from criminal prosecution.
While the child was placed into psychiatric care, his mother, Deja Nicole Taylor, served nearly two years in prison after pleading guilty to state felony child neglect and federal firearm charges. Federal prosecutors noted that Taylor lied about her marijuana use on a background check form when purchasing the handgun.
Court proceedings subsequently exposed a history of severe behavioral and domestic instability preceding the shooting. Prosecutors revealed that at age five, the child had twice stolen his mother's car keys and driven her vehicle, resulting in a crash on one occasion.
The child's great-grandfather and legal guardian, Calvin Taylor, publicly criticized child protective services for failing to provide adequate intervention prior to the tragedy.
"He was a victim before that date," Calvin Taylor stated. "Contrary to popular belief, I know they said that my granddaughter neglected him and placed him in precarious situations, but there were instances where she tried to get help. I drove her to certain places. My other daughters drove her to places to acquire help, even the safety plan that they put in place after the car incident. There was no follow-up."
Calvin Taylor noted that the child has since transitioned to a new academic environment, received counseling, and expressed remorse for the injuries inflicted upon his former teacher.
Update: Abby Zwerner case
Below is the released footage of the 6 YO right after he shot Abby.
As a reminder:
*Abby still suffers with physical issues.
*The vice principle was charged criminally, but not convicted for her negligence related to the shooting.
*Abby was awarded $10 million for the failures by the vice principle.
*6 YO (JT) was taken away from the mother, Deja Taylor, and is with relatives. JT was never charged due to his age.
*JT's mother was charged federally with gun/drug charges and locally with child neglect charges. She served 4 years and is out now.
Prediction: We will see JT again in the criminal justice system thanks to how his disgraceful mother raised him. Kids aren't born wanting to kill. They are abused and suffer great emotional damage that is almost impossible to reverse based on my experience working gangs.
#AbbyZwerner
#Schoolshooting
— Jennifer Coffindaffer (@CoffindafferFBI) October 7, 2026
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