Current:Home > MyMother of 6-year-old boy who shot his Virginia teacher faces two new federal charges -CapitalEdge
Mother of 6-year-old boy who shot his Virginia teacher faces two new federal charges
View
Date:2025-04-16 02:46:15
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! (29329)
Related
- 'Malcolm in the Middle’ to return with new episodes featuring Frankie Muniz
- Western Balkan heads of state press for swift approval of their European Union membership bids
- Balzan Prizes recognize achievements in study of human evolution, black holes with $840,000 awards
- Man confessed to killing Boston woman in 1979 to FBI agents, prosecutors say
- What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
- Tennessee father and son killed when jet ski crashes into barge on lake near Nashville
- Hillary Clinton is stepping over the White House threshold in yet another role
- On the brink of joining NATO, Sweden seeks to boost its defense spending by 28%
- Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
- Novak Djokovic wins U.S. Open, tying Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 major titles
Ranking
- Trump's 'stop
- Lose Yourself in the Nostalgia of the 2003 MTV VMAs
- Best photos from New York Fashion Week: See all the celebs, spring/summer 2024 runway looks
- Man confessed to killing Boston woman in 1979 to FBI agents, prosecutors say
- This was the average Social Security benefit in 2004, and here's what it is now
- Bryce Young's rough NFL debut for Panthers is no reason to panic about the No. 1 pick
- 14-year-old accused of trying to drown Black youth in pond released to father as case proceeds
- 14-year-old accused of trying to drown Black youth in pond released to father as case proceeds
Recommendation
Jamie Foxx reps say actor was hit in face by a glass at birthday dinner, needed stitches
Armenia launches joint military drills with United States that anger Moscow
Helton teams up with organization to eliminate $10 million in medical bills for Colorado residents
'Sobering' data shows US set record for natural disasters, climate catastrophes in 2023
'Kraven the Hunter' spoilers! Let's dig into that twisty ending, supervillain reveal
Ukraine claims to recapture Black Sea oil platforms seized during Crimea’s annexation
U.K. police catch terrorism suspect Daniel Khalife, who escaped from a London prison
What are tree nuts? What they aren't might surprise you.