Current:Home > InvestMother of 6-year-old boy who shot his Virginia teacher faces two new federal charges -VisionFunds
Mother of 6-year-old boy who shot his Virginia teacher faces two new federal charges
View
Date:2025-04-11 14:38:40
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! (861)
Related
- John Galliano out at Maison Margiela, capping year of fashion designer musical chairs
- A $355 million penalty and business ban: Takeaways from Trump’s New York civil fraud verdict
- FBI informant lied to investigators about Bidens' business dealings, special counsel alleges
- Deion Sanders bets big on new defensive coach: What to know about his Colorado contract
- North Carolina justices rule for restaurants in COVID
- Super Bowl LVIII was most-watched program in television history, CBS Sports says
- Facebook chirping sound is a bug not a new update. Here's how to stop it now.
- White House objected to Justice Department over Biden special counsel report before release
- The Super Bowl could end in a 'three
- Brian Laundrie's parents detail 'frantic' conversations with son: 'Gabby's gone, please call a lawyer'
Ranking
- Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
- Tax refund seem smaller this year? IRS says taxpayers are getting less money back (so far)
- Prince Harry says he's 'grateful' he visited King Charles III amid cancer diagnosis
- Russell Simmons sued for defamation by former Def Jam executive Drew Dixon who accused him of rape
- 'Survivor' 47 finale, part one recap: 2 players were sent home. Who's left in the game?
- Video shows Target store sliding down hillside in West Virginia as store is forced to close
- Protests, poisoning and prison: The life and death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny
- Get a Tan in 1 Hour and Save 46% On St. Tropez Express Self-Tanning Mousse
Recommendation
Alex Murdaugh’s murder appeal cites biased clerk and prejudicial evidence
About that AMC Networks class action lawsuit settlement email. Here's what it means to you
'A Band-aid approach' How harassment of women and Black online gamers goes on unchecked
Record Store Day 2024 features exclusive vinyl from David Bowie, Ringo Starr, U2, more
Romantasy reigns on spicy BookTok: Recommendations from the internet’s favorite genre
What is Christian nationalism? Here's what Rob Reiner's new movie gets wrong.
Robert Hur, special counsel in Biden documents case, to testify before Congress on March 12
How the Navy came to protect cargo ships