Virginia elementary school teacher shot by student speaks out for the first time in new interview

The Virginia teacher who was wounded after a six-year-old student shot her inside a classroom is speaking out for the first time since the incident. 

Talking with NBC News‘ Savannah Guthrie, Abigail Zwerner, 25, said she is still recovering from her gruesome injuries after a young student pulled out a gun in class and shot her in January at the Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia. 

In the interview which airs Tuesday, March 21, at 7am on TODAY, Zwerner told Guthrie she continues to face ‘obstacles and challenges’ after several operations in the three months since the incident. 

‘Some days are not so good days, where I can’t get up out of bed. Some days are better than others, where I’m able to get out of bed and make it to my appointments,’ said Zwerner. 

The news of the shooting shocked the small community and caused outrage inside the district after it was revealed that Zwerner and other educators had gone to administration officials saying the child was rumored to have a gun on him. 

Talking with TODAY, Abigail Zwerner, 25, said she is still recovering from her gruesome injuries after a young student pulled out a gun in class and shot her in January at the Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia

At the time, DailyMail.com reported that Zwerner had been shot in the hand by the student – whose name has never been made public – and that the bullet had then hit her in the chest

The 25-year-old teacher gave the interview while appearing with her left hand bandaged from a surgery to repair a bone that was damaged in the shooting. 

At the time, DailyMail.com reported that Zwerner had been shot in the hand by the student – whose name has never been made public – and that the bullet had then hit her in the chest. 

Zwerner told the TODAY anchor that she is recovering from several physical injuries. 

One of those injuries is a wound on her side where doctors inserted a breathing tube after her lung collapsed. 

The teacher – who was hailed as a hero for saving other students in her class from the child – told Guthrie she has found herself exhausted from the constant string of surgeries and appointments. 

‘But, you know, for going through what I’ve gone through, I try to stay positive,’ said Zwerner, who spent two weeks in the hospital after being shot. 

Zwerner now says she has trouble with simple tasks such as making a fist, getting dressed, and opening her own water bottle. 

Her doctors have told her it’s unclear if she will ever regain normal function in her left hand. She continues to attend physical therapy which she said is ‘exhausting.’ 

‘Physical therapy is not only physically exhausting but mentally exhausting as well. I’m supposed to be moving them once every hour, throughout the hour,’ she said. 

‘Just manipulating them to get that blood flowing and to get that movement back into the hand,’ Zwerner said of what she has to do with her hand. 

In spite of her ‘obstacles and struggles,’ the teacher told Guthrie that she is hopeful for the future.  

‘You know, try to have a positive outlook on what’s happened and where my future’s heading,’ the teacher said in the interview.

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Zwerner was taken to Riverside Regional Medical Center after the shooting 

‘You know, try to have a positive outlook on what’s happened and where my future’s heading,’ the teacher said in the interview with TODAY

Since the shooting, Zwerner has hired lawyers to sue the district. 

Zwerner and her legal team claim that there were safety protocol failures at ‘multiple levels’ and that administration had been warned about the child in question. 

‘I can tell you there were failures on multiple levels in this case, and there were adults that were in positions of authority that could have prevented this tragedy from happening and did not,’ said lawyer Diane Toscano said.

Toscano said the boy – who will not face charges in the shooting – had behavioral problems and a pattern of issues with staff and other students.

According to reports, the boy was given a one-day suspension for breaking Zwerner’s cellphone just days before the shooting took place. 

Toscano said on the day the shooting happened, three teachers had gone to the administrators about the boy’s behavior and the suspicion he had a gun on campus.  

In a statement after the shooting, the boy’s family defended his actions and claimed the weapon had been locked in their home.   

The parents said they have ‘always been committed to responsible gun ownership and keeping firearms out of the reach of children.’

They also claimed the boy has a disability and that he is currently receiving the ‘treatment he needs’ as a temporary detention at a medical facility.

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Since the shooting, Zwerner has hired lawyers to sue the district

Zwerner and her legal team claim that there were safety protocol failures at ‘multiple levels’ and that administration had been warned about the child in question

Zwerner’s lawyer said the boy – who will not face charges in the shooting – had behavioral problems and a pattern of issues with staff and other students

After the shooting, Newport News’ school board members to oust superintendent George Parker III

Newport News prosecutor Howard Gwynn told NBC News earlier this month that the boy, despite being able to be charged, would not face and charges. 

‘Our objective is not just to do something as quickly as possible,’ Gwynn said.  

‘Once we analyze all the facts, we will charge any person or persons that we believe we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt committed a crime,’ he continued. 

After the shooting, Newport News’ school board members to oust superintendent George Parker III and metal detectors were installed. 

Additionally, Richneck’s principal was transferred to a different role within the district after the incident while the school’s assistant principal resigned entirely.