Abby Zwirner was seriously injured after being shot with a gun at an elementary school
The condition of a Virginia teacher who was seriously injured when she was shot by a six-year-old schoolboy is on the mend, US authorities said.
Abby Zwerner was seriously injured after being shot with a handgun at Rechneck Elementary School in Newport News on Friday.
Mayor Philip Jones told the BBC that Zwirner’s recovery was “heading in a positive direction”.
But he added that she remained in critical condition after the accident.
It is not clear how the child obtained the gun, but Drew said it was not an “accidental shooting”.
The teacher, whose name has not been revealed and is believed to be in her 30s, sustained life-threatening injuries.
She was taken to a local hospital and doctors are closely monitoring her condition. The incident occurred in a classroom in first grade (ages six to seven) after an argument between the boy and the teacher.
Police declined to reveal a motive, but Chief Steve Drew told reporters the shooting came after an “alteration” in first grade (ages six to seven) and did not appear to be an accident.
Officials said that although the school, which houses about 550 students, has metal detector equipment, the screening of students is random and not every child is searched.
Police declined to name the weapon used in the incident, but said the boy had used a gun.
He said the school would be closed on Monday and pledged support to students and parents to help them deal with the traumatic event.
Steve Gonzalez, whose child was in the classroom at the time of the shooting, told Fox News that Ms. Zwirner acted selflessly after the shooting.
He said that after the bullet hit her, she “shouted at the children in the class to run away.”
Mayor Philip Jones, who has only been in office for five days, said the shooting marked “a dark day for Newport News”.
“We will learn from this and come back stronger,” he told reporters.
Mayor Jones said police continue to investigate the circumstances of the shooting, but that “we don’t have all the answers as to how a six-year-old managed to handle a firearm or how a six-year-old gained access to a firearm.”
Newport News has a population of about 180,000 and is located about 122 km south of the state capital, Richmond.