Current:Home > InvestMother of 6-year-old boy who shot his Virginia teacher faces two new federal charges -AssetVision
Mother of 6-year-old boy who shot his Virginia teacher faces two new federal charges
View
Date:2025-04-18 02:58:42
The mother of a 6-year-old boy accused of shooting and seriously wounding his first-grade teacher earlier this year in Virginia faces two new federal charges, according to court documents filed on Monday.
Deja Taylor is accused of unlawfully using a controlled substance while in possession of a firearm and making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm. The new charges follow felony charges filed in April accusing Taylor of child neglect and endangerment.
Taylor "knowingly made a false and fictitious written statement to Winfree Firearms," a gun shop in Grafton, Va., from which she purchased a 9mm semiautomatic handgun, court documents filed with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia allege. The documents also allege that Taylor falsely claimed on Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives application forms that she did not use marijuana despite unlawfully using the drug.
Abby Zwerner, a 25-year-old teacher at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, was shot in the hand and chest by a student on Jan. 6 as she sat at a reading table in her classroom. She spent nearly two weeks in the hospital and has had four surgeries since the shooting.
While the boy was not charged in connection with the shooting, a grand jury returned an indictment charging his mother with "felony child neglect and misdemeanor recklessly leaving a loaded firearm so as to endanger a child," Newport News Commonwealth's Attorney Howard Gwynn said in April. Taylor will return to court in August to face those charges, CBS affiliate WTVR reported.
The boy used his mother's gun, police said, which had been purchased legally.
Family members said the gun was secured. They also noted the 6-year-old boy suffers from an acute disability.
Zwerner in April filed a $40 million lawsuit, accusing school officials of gross negligence for allegedly ignoring multiple warnings that the boy had a gun and was in a "violent mood" on the day of the shooting.
S. DevS. Dev is a news editor for CBSNews.com.
veryGood! (8)
Related
- Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
- Key witness in trial of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried seeks no prison time at upcoming sentencing
- A Combination of Heat and Drought Walloped Virginia Vegetable Farmers
- Las Vegas man pleads guilty in lucrative telemarketing scam
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- 'Happy Gilmore' sequel's cast: Adam Sandler, Bad Bunny, Travis Kelce, more confirmed
- Katy Perry Reacts to Viral Photo of Orlando Bloom Appearing to Check Out Kim Kardashian
- Larry David announces comedy tour dates: Attend 'if you have nothing to do'
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- Abortion-rights measure will be on Missouri’s November ballot, court rules
Ranking
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Opening statements are set in the trial of 3 ex-Memphis officers charged in Tyre Nichols’ death
- Taylor Swift Breaks Silence on 2024 U.S. Presidential Election
- 'Rocket fuel' in Gulf may propel Francine closer to hurricane status: Live updates
- Gen. Mark Milley's security detail and security clearance revoked, Pentagon says
- A day that shocked the world: Photos capture stunned planet after 9/11 terror attacks
- Where does Notre Dame go from here? What about Colorado? College Football Fix discusses and previews Week 3
- Bachelorette's Devin Strader Breaks Silence on Jenn Tran Finale Fallout
Recommendation
Bill Belichick's salary at North Carolina: School releases football coach's contract details
Madonna shocks at star-studded Luar NYFW show with Offset modeling, Ice Spice in front row
Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner Finalize Divorce One Year After Split
MTV VMAs reveal most dramatic stage yet ahead of 40th anniversary award show
Appeals court scraps Nasdaq boardroom diversity rules in latest DEI setback
Hong Kong hits out at US Congress for passing a bill that could close its representative offices
The Bachelor’s Kelsey Anderson Shares Update on Her and Joey Graziadei’s Roommate Situation
Rachel Zoe Speaks Out Amid Divorce From Rodger Berman