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A 6-year-old student at a Virginia elementary school shot and injured a teacher Friday, according to authorities who provided more information about the shooting and the condition of the teacher on Saturday.
Police say the violence was not accidental, as questions swirled about what will happen to the student. Experts say it is rare that a child so young would be accused of intentionally shooting someone.
Police in Newport News, Virginia, said the child and the teacher had an «altercation» before a single shot was fired in a first-grade classroom at Richneck Elementary School on Friday afternoon.
FROM FRIDAY:Virginia teacher injured after being shot in classroom by 6-year-old student, officials say
«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,» Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew said.
Here’s what we know.What is the condition of the injured teacher?
The teacher, a woman in her 30s, had life-threatening injuries on Friday, Drew said.
Newport News Mayor Phillip Jones told USA TODAY Saturday afternoon she was in «stable condition and trending in a positive direction.» Where did the boy get the gun?
A major focus of the investigation going forward will be where the child got the firearm used, which Drew said was a handgun.
Police have not responded to an inquiry about that aspect of the investigation or about whether any adults were questioned in connection with the shooting.
Gun safety experts have sounded the alarm about children accessing unsecured guns owned by their parents and caregivers and accidentally hurting themselves or others. Research by the advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety showed in 2022, there were at least 301 accidental shootings by children in the U.S., resulting in 133 deaths and 180 injuries.
A 2019 report from the U.S. Secret Service also found most school attackers who use firearms obtained them in their homes and that those firearms were owned by parents or other relatives.
An estimated 4.6 million children in the U.
