Photo:Stephen M. Katz/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service via Getty
Stephen M. Katz/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service via Getty
The mother of the6-year-old boy who shot his teacherat a Virginia elementary school, has been sentenced to 21 months in prison for felony offenses.
The ruling — theAssociated Press,CNNandNew York Timesreported — comes after Deja Taylor, 26, pleaded guilty in June for illegally possessing a firearm while using marijuana and making a false statement about using the drug on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) form to buy the firearm.
In January, Taylor’s 6-year-old son “shot and severely injured"Abigail Zwerner, a first grade Richneck Elementary School teacher, with a Taurus, Model PT111, G2A, 9mm, semiautomatic handgun, according to theU.S. District Attorney’s Office Eastern District Virginia. The firearm was traced back to a purchase Taylor made in July 2022.
Students return to Richneck Elementary in Newport News, Virginia, on Monday, Jan. 30, 2023.Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service via Getty
Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service via Getty
PEOPLE has reached out to the U.S. District Attorney’s Office Eastern District Virginia for comment.
Zwerner testified during Taylor’s court hearing that the shooting has impacted her life. Her recovery has included “five surgeries and regular intensive therapy to restore motion in her hand,“ABC Newsreported.
“Not only do I bear physical scars from the shooting that will remain with me forever, I contend daily with deep, psychological scars that plague me during most waking moments and invade my dreams,” she said during the hearing, per the outlet.
She added, “This permanent damage should never have been allowed to happen to me and would not have happened if not for the defendant’s actions or lack thereof.”
One of Taylor’s attorneys, Gene Rossi, said in a statement to ABC News that his client was “extremely sorry and very remorseful” for her “actions” and that she would feel remorse “for the rest of my life.”
Taylor also pleaded guilty to child neglect charges in August, CNN reported. That sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 15.
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The school tried to dismiss her lawsuit, but a judge ruled earlier this month that it could move forward, per the outlet.
source: people.com
