Current:Home > MyMother of 6-year-old boy who shot his Virginia teacher faces two new federal charges -ProfitQuest Academy
Mother of 6-year-old boy who shot his Virginia teacher faces two new federal charges
View
Date:2025-04-15 20:01:04
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! (754)
Related
- Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
- 18-year-old electrocuted, dies, after jumping into Virginia lake: Reports
- Rent inflation remains a pressure point for small businesses
- Woman swallowed whole by a python in Indonesia, second such killing in a month
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Former US Sen. Jim Inhofe, defense hawk who called human-caused climate change a ‘hoax,’ dies at 89
- The Best Summer Reads for Each Zodiac Sign, According to Our Astrology Expert
- Jimmy Kimmel shares positive update on son Billy, 7, following third open-heart surgery
- Have Dry, Sensitive Skin? You Need To Add These Gentle Skincare Products to Your Routine
- Hundreds of deaths, thousands of injuries, billions of dollars is cost of extreme heat in California
Ranking
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- Shrek 5's All-Star Cast and Release Date Revealed
- Violent holiday weekend sees mass shootings in Michigan, Illinois and Kentucky
- Topical gel is latest in decades-long quest for hormonal male birth control
- From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
- RNC committee approves Trump-influenced 2024 GOP platform with softened abortion language
- Under pressure from cities, DoorDash steps up efforts to ensure its drivers don’t break traffic laws
- The Biggest Bombshells From Alec Baldwin's Rust Shooting Trial for Involuntary Manslaughter
Recommendation
Dick Vitale announces he is cancer free: 'Santa Claus came early'
Texas sends millions to anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers. It's meant to help needy families, but no one knows if it works.
Anchorman actor Jay Johnston pleads guilty to interfering with police during Jan. 6 riot
Former US Sen. Jim Inhofe, defense hawk who called human-caused climate change a ‘hoax,’ dies at 89
Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
Pregnant Gypsy Rose Blanchard Shares Message to Anyone Who Thinks She's Not Ready to Be a Mother
Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer embraces 'privilege' of following Nick Saban. Don't expect him to wilt
Jimmy Kimmel shares positive update on son Billy, 7, following third open-heart surgery