Another tragedy involving gun violence has struck; this time, it involved a first-grade teacher shot by her six-year-old student.
The teacher, currently said to be in critical condition, was able to get the other kids to safety by yelling at them to run.
Keep reading for the details.
Abby Zwerner is a 25-year-old first-grade teacher at Richneck Elementary School in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Zwerner got struck by a bullet in the chest area at around 2 pm on the school premises on Friday. Authorities reported that the boy, who is yet to be publicly identified, got into an altercation with Zwerner before firing the weapon.
Before getting to the hospital, Zwerner ensured to get the other kids to safety as she ordered them to run and take cover after the boy fired a single bullet.
The 25-year-old was then rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery. However, officials say the teacher was severely hit and is now in a critical state.
One of the parents, Gonzalez-Hernandez, whose child is in Zwerner's class, confirmed her identity to news outlets and spoke about her heroic act, which helped limit the number of possible victims.
"Even after she'd been shot she was thinking about the safety of her children."
The parent further revealed that his son was also Zwerner's student, and while he didn't see what happened in real-time, he heard a gunshot and turned around to see his teacher on the floor.
Hernandez described the victim as an amazing teacher who was dedicated. He revealed his son absolutely loves her and expressed his sadness over the situation while remaining optimistic that she would recover soon.
She was rushed to Riverside Regional Medical Center where she's in critical condition. The 25-year-old was the only one injured in the shooting.
The police affirmed that a six-year-old handled the weapon and even fired the shot, raising further questions on how he gained access to a gun.
Officials described the incident as deliberate and not accidental at all. Chief Steve Drew revealed at a press conference on Friday that the shooting happened in a classroom and it's not a case of a shooter gaining access to the school premises.
"It was in a classroom, an altercation took place there. We did not have a situation where someone was going around the school shooting. We had a situation in one particular location where a gunshot was fired."
Another witness, a grandmother of one of the students reported to Daily Mail that a student was said to have brought shiny gold bullets to school last week and also promised to bring his gun. Although no one can confirm if it's the same child who is currently in custody.
George Parker stated that the school and every school in the district does have a working metal detecting system but they don't perform the test on every student regularly unless there's a perceived threat or issue.
Parker revealed the students got lessons on gun violence and its dangers, as he stressed the urgent need to keep guns out of the hands of children and minors.
Parents of students in the school are demanding the town address the gun problems immediately.
"Guns, that's the biggest problem in this country," a British parent who's currently living in the U.S. as her husband serves in the military told WTKR. "Why is there a seven-year-old with a bloody gun? ... How does a seven-year-old have a gun?"
