Mother Pleads Guilty To Felony Child Neglect After 6-Year-Old Son Used Her Gun To Shoot Teacher

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — The mother of a 6-year-old boy who shot his teacher in Virginia pleaded guilty Tuesday (Aug. 15) to a charge of felony child neglect, seven months after her son used her handgun to critically wound the educator in a classroom full of students.

Prosecutors agreed to drop a misdemeanor charge of reckless storage of a firearm against Deja Taylor. As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors said they will not seek a sentence that is longer than state sentencing guidelines, which call for six months in jail or prison.

Felony child neglect is punishable by up to five years in prison. A judge will have full discretion when he ultimately decides the length of Taylor’s sentence. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 27.

The January shooting shocked the nation and roiled this shipbuilding city near the Chesapeake Bay. The case against Taylor is one of three legal efforts seeking accountability, including the shooting victim, first-grade teacher Abby Zwerner’s $40 million lawsuit that accuses the school system of gross negligence for failing to respond aggressively to multiple warnings the child had brought a gun to school that day.

The city prosecutor’s office said Tuesday that it is investigating whether the “actions or omissions” of any school employees could lead to criminal charges.

Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew has repeatedly characterized the shooting as “intentional.” He said there was no warning and no struggle before the child pointed the gun at Zwerner and fired one round, striking her in the hand and chest.

Zwerner, 25, hustled her students out of the classroom before being rushed to the hospital, where she stayed for nearly two weeks.

James Ellenson, Taylor’s attorney, has said previously that Taylor has no criminal record. He also said that her gun was secured on a top shelf in her closet and had a trigger lock.

The family has said the boy has an “acute disability” and was under a care plan that included his mother or father accompanying him to class every day. The week of the shooting was the first when a parent was not in class with him, the family said.