An elementary teacher in Newport News, Virginia is listed as in stable condition at a hospital after doctors say she sustained life-threatening injuries after being shot with a handgun by a 6-year-old student in her first-grade classroom on Friday.
Police say the shooting was not accidental. A community vigil was planned for the recovering teacher on Monday evening.
The boy was taken into police custody, but according to WTKR and the Associated Press, the student is too young to be committed to the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice in Virginia. He is also too young to be tried as an adult in the state of Virginia.
Police did not go into detail on what is believed to have been the motive for the shooting, citing an ongoing investigation.
It was not entirely clear how the boy gained access to the firearm, or to whom the gun belonged to, WTKR reported.
Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew said the teacher was shot while teaching class.
Drew said the student pulled out the gun, then pointed at the teacher and fired it. Police said there was no physical struggle for the firearm after the teacher was shot.
The teacher, identified as Abby Zwerner of Richneck Elementary School, remained in a local hospital on Monday.
