Her 6-year-old son shot his teacher. Now she is being sentenced for child neglect

Published October 26, 2023 10:23 PM

By BEN FINLEY
Associated Press

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — The mother of a 6-year-old who shot his teacher in Virginia is scheduled to be sentenced for felony child neglect. The sentencing scheduled for Friday comes 10 months after Deja Taylor’s son used her handgun to critically wound his first-grade teacher. Prosecutors recommend six-months behind bars, but a judge will decide Taylor’s punishment. The sentencing offers the first measure of accountability for the January classroom shooting in Newport News. Teacher Abby Zwerner was shot in the hand and chest, spending nearly two weeks in the hospital and undergoing multiple surgeries. Taylor’s son told authorities he took the gun from his mother’s purse on top of a dresser.

Article Topic Follows: AP National

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