Teacher, 25, deliberately shot in the chest by six-year-old boy in Virginia in stable condition

The Virginia teacher who was intentionally shot in the chest by her six-year-old student on Friday afternoon is now in a stable condition, the Newport News police chief said.

Chief Steve Drew met with Abby Zwerner, 25, and her family this morning and revealed in a statement on Saturday afternoon that her condition is improving.

Zwerner, a first-grade teacher at Richneck Elementary School, was rushed to hospital with critical injuries on Friday after she was shot by a 6-year-old boy during an ‘altercation’ in a classroom. The child remains in police custody. 

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Chief Steve Drew (pictured) met with Abby Zwerner, 25, and her family on Saturday morning and said in a statement her condition is improving 

Abby Zwerner (pictured), 25, a first-grade teacher at Richneck Elementary School, was rushed to hospital with critical injuries on Friday after she was shot in the chest by a 6-year-old boy

Newport News Police Department said in a statement this afternoon: ‘In reference to the January 6 shooting at Richneck Elementary School, Chief Steve Drew met with the victim and her family this morning.

‘She has improved and is currently listed in stable condition. Chief Drew asked that you continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers.’

‘The individual is a six-year-old student and is right now in police custody,’ Drew said at a press conference on Friday. ‘This was not an accidental shooting.

‘It was in a classroom, an altercation took place there,’ he said. ‘We did not have a situation where someone was going around the school shooting. We had a situation in one particular location where a gunshot was fired.’

A crowd of parents waited outside Richneck Elementary School after the 2pm shooting where a six-year-old allegedly shot his teacher on purpose after an ‘altercation’ 

Zwerner was shot in the chest at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News around 2pm on Friday

The shooting happened at Richneck Elementary School, a school for kids aged five to nine, just before 2pm. No children were harmed and police are working to find out how the child had access to the gun.

A grandmother of one of the students told DailyMail.com that a student brought ‘shiny gold bullets’ to school last week, but it is unclear if it is the same child who was taken into custody today.

Speaking to DailyMail.com, she said: ‘The parents outside stated that their child told them a kid brought golden shiny bullets to school and was thinking about bringing his gun. The student told the parent, who informed the school.

‘And the school just yesterday got back to the parent saying the parent of the kid said it was a nerf bullet and the parent said nerf bullets aren’t shiny and gold.’

She was not positive if the child who brought in the ‘bullets’ is the same child allegedly involved in the shooting today.

Carlos Glover, nine, (pictured) was seen leaving the school with his mother Joselin after the shooting. A student has been taken into custody, but police have not released the student’s name 

The shooting occurred in the classroom and was an isolated incident. Officers are still trying to determine how to managed to get the weapon

Parent, Sebastian Gonzalez-Hernandez confirmed Zwerner’s identity to DailyMail.com and also detailed her selflessness in the immediate aftermath.

He said ‘she screamed at her kids to run away’ after the student fired a single bullet.

‘Even after she’d been shot she was thinking about the safety of her children,’ Gonzalez-Hernandez said.

His own six-year-old, who he did not wish to name, was in the classroom when the gunshot went off.

‘My son didn’t see what happened, he heard the gunshot go off, and turned around to see Miss Zwerner on the floor,’ he told DailyMail.com on Friday.

‘She is an amazing teacher, so dedicated. My son absolutely loves her, and we’re devastated about what’s happened. We are all thinking of her and hoping that she gets better soon.’