More than three months after Abigail Zwerner was shot in her elementary school classroom in Virginia by a six-year-old, Abigail still thinks about the shooting every day.
“I will never forget the look on his face when he pointed the gun directly at me,” she said in an interview. today program aired on Tuesday. “It changed me. It changed my life.”
In his first public statement since the Jan. 6, 2023 shooting at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, Zwerner said mornings are like a normal school day. I remember how it all started.
“But then I started hearing something and things started happening that kind of increased my fear,” she said, adding that she got more scared as the days went on.
Zwerner’s attorney, Diane Toscano, previously said that when teachers and school officials warned three times that the boy had a gun and was threatening people, administrators took no action.
“It was preventable. Thank God Abby is alive,” Toscano said. would not have suffered.”
The Newport News Public Schools did not immediately respond to BuzzFeed News’ request for comment regarding the Zwerner interview.
George Parker, then superintendent of Newport News Public Schools, searched the boy’s rucksack that morning after someone reported to parents that he might be armed the week after the shooting. , said no guns were found. After the shooting, the school board voted to replace Parker. Parker has not yet responded to BuzzFeed News’ request for comment.
A 25-year-old teacher said she and her children were terrified when the guns were fired.
“They were screaming. I think they knew they had to get out of there too, but they were very frightened and screaming,” she said.
“At that moment my first reaction was Your kids need to get out of here. This is no longer a safe classroom.And you have to go get help yourself,” she added.
Zwerner has been widely praised for escorting her freshman safely out of the classroom despite her injuries. Newport News Mayor Philip Jones called her a “hero” and the police chief said she likely saved her life.
