Washington [US], April 11: A Virginia grand jury indicted the mother of a 6-year-old boy who shot an elementary school teacher in Newport News in January on felony child neglect and a firearms charge.
On Jan. 6, 25-year-old teacher Abigail Zwerner was wounded by a first-grade student in her classroom at Richneck Elementary School after school officials received warnings that the boy had a gun at school.
The student's mother, Deja Taylor, was charged with felony child neglect and misdemeanour recklessly leaving a loaded firearm so as to endanger a child, Newport News, Virginia, prosecutor Howard Gwynn said in a statement.
The grand jury would continue to investigate the case, and would consider whether additional charges were warranted, he added.
While shootings committed by a young child in a classroom are extremely rare, school shootings happen with alarming frequency in the U.S., including the deadly attack last month at a small private Christian school in Nashville, where a former student killed three nine-year-old children and three adults.
In Newport News, Zwerner last week filed a $40 million lawsuit against school administrators, alleging they ignored warnings from staff and pupils that the boy had a gun.
School officials have confirmed that they had received warnings that the boy had a gun at school, but that a search of his belongings before the shooting had not turned up any weapon.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Corporation
