Fallout from shooting by first-grader includes staff shakeup
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — (AP) — The fallout from the shooting of a teacher by a 6-year-old student in Virginia has prompted a staff shakeup in the Newport News school district. In addition to the firing of Superintendent Gary Parker this week, the principal and assistant principal of Richneck Elementary School have left their jobs. A longtime principal in the school district has been named to lead the school as it prepares to reopen next week. Karen Lynch, who has worked as a principal in Newport News for 17 years, is now listed as the school's administrator. Emotional support services have been provided to students, families and staff by the district's student support specialists, school social workers, or licensed therapists.
wftv.com2 Maryland men accused of gaming machine thefts from Virginia convenience stores
FAIRFAX, Va. — Two Maryland men are accused of theft in a string of gaming machine robberies that targeted convenience stores in northern Virginia, authorities said Tuesday. NEW: @FairfaxCountyPD confirm they’ve now made arrests in a recent string of convenience store gaming machine thefts, after 7 stores were hit in the past month. The same store had been robbed by thieves targeting gaming machines on Jan. 16, according to the television station. An inspection of the vehicle revealed parts of a gaming machine inside the bed of the truck, WJLA reported. Police said that additional charges could be filed against Jones and Hardy as authorities review evidence in six previous gaming machine thefts throughout Fairfax County.
wftv.comLawyer: Warnings boy had gun ignored before he shot teacher
“The administrator downplayed the report from the teacher and the possibility of a gun, saying — and I quote — ‘Well, he has little pockets,’ " Toscano said. Shortly after 1 p.m., another teacher told an administrator that a different student who was “crying and fearful” said the boy showed him the gun during recess and threatened to shoot him if he told anyone. When another employee who had heard the boy might have a gun asked an administrator to search the boy, he was turned down, Toscano said. Parker's departure had been expected since a school board agenda was posted Tuesday showing that the panel was set to vote on his separation package. Police have said that school officials did not tell them about that tip before the shooting, which happened hours later.
wftv.comVirginia teacher shot by 6-year-old student to sue school district, alleging administrators were warned of gun
The Virginia teacher shot by one of her first-grade students earlier this month plans to sue the school district that reportedly downplayed warnings before the incident took place.
foxnews.comLawyer: Admins were warned 3 times the day boy shot teacher
“On that day, over the course of a few hours, three different times — three times — school administration was warned by concerned teachers and employees that the boy had a gun on him at the school and was threatening people. She said that around 12:30 p.m., one teacher told administrators that she had taken it upon herself to search the boy’s bookbag but warned that she thought he had the gun in his pocket. Toscano said that after 1 p.m., another boy told his teacher that the student had shown him the gun and threatened to shoot him, and that the teacher reported that to administrators. Another employee later asked for permission to search the boy after hearing about the gun but “was told to wait the situation out because the school day was almost over,” Toscano said. Zwerner had also told school administrators at around 11:15 a.m. that day that the boy had threatened to beat up another child.
wftv.comVirginia teacher shot by student to sue school district
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — (AP) — A Virginia teacher who was shot by a 6-year-old student during class will sue the school district, the teacher’s attorney announced Wednesday. Police Chief Steve Drew has repeatedly characterized the shooting as “intentional,” saying the boy aimed at Zwerner and fired one round, striking her in the hand and chest. Zwerner was hospitalized for nearly two weeks but is now recovering at home, a hospital spokesperson said. Police have said school officials did not tell them about that tip before the shooting, which happened hours later. The Newport News School Board will hold a special meeting Wednesday evening to vote on a separation agreement and severance package for Parker, according to a posted agenda.
wftv.comLawyer: Admins were warned 3 times the day boy shot teacher
Concerned teachers and employees warned administrators at a Virginia elementary school three times that a 6-year-old boy had a gun and was threatening other students in the hours before he shot and wounded a teacher, “but the administration could not be bothered,” a lawyer for the teacher said Wednesday. Diane Toscano, an attorney for Abigail Zwerner, said during a news conference that she has notified the Newport News School Board that the 25-year-old teacher at Richneck Elementary School plans to sue the school district over the Jan. 6 shooting, which left Zwerner with serious injuries.
news.yahoo.comBoard voting on superintendent departure after teacher shot
RICHMOND, Va. — (AP) — A Virginia school board is scheduled to vote this week on the departure of its superintendent after a 6-year-old student shot and wounded his teacher. Six days after the shooting, Parker revealed that at least one administrator had been told the day of the shooting that the boy may have had a weapon. Police say Abigail Zwerner, 25, was shot by a student in her class as she was teaching at Richneck Elementary School. Police say Zwerner, 25, was shot by a student in her class as she was teaching at Richneck Elementary School. Six days after the shooting, Parker revealed that at least one administrator had been told the day of the shooting that the boy may have had a weapon.
wftv.comJustice Dept. sues Google over digital advertising dominance
WASHINGTON — (AP) — The Justice Department and several states sued Google on Tuesday, alleging that its dominance in digital advertising harms competition. The DOJ's suit accuses Google of unlawfully monopolizing the way ads are served online by excluding competitors. This is the latest legal action taken against Google by either the Justice Department or local state governments. In October 2020, for instance, the Trump administration and eleven state attorneys general sued Google for violating antitrust laws, alleging anticompetitive practices in the search and search advertising markets. The lawsuit in essence aligns the Biden administration and new states with the 35 states and District of Colombia that sued Google in December 2020 over the exact same issues.
wftv.comConfederate general's remains moved to Virginia hometown
The remains of a Confederate general unearthed from beneath a monument at the center of a Virginia intersection have been reinterred at a cemetery in his hometown. Last month, Richmond, which served as the Confederacy’s capital for most of the Civil War, removed the statue of Confederate Gen. A.P. Hill and the general's remains buried beneath after a court battle. On Saturday, hundreds of people, including Confederate reenactors, gathered to pay their respects to the general at a ceremony in Fairview Cemetery in Culpeper, Hill’s hometown, The Free Lance-Star reported.
news.yahoo.com‘I guess I can buy me some eggs now’: Virginia man wins $100K lottery prize
A retired Virginia man knows exactly want he wants to buy after winning $100,000 in a lottery game. >> Read more trending news“I guess I can buy me some eggs now,” Jerry Camp joked in a statement to Virginia Lottery officials after winning a Cash 5 with EZ Match game. Camp had two winning tickets. According to lottery officials, the EZ Match game features a rolling jackpot that starts at $100,000. In addition to buying more eggs, Camp said he also plans to buy a new car with his winnings.
wftv.comJury rejects woman's claims against 4 police officers
A jury on Friday rejected a woman's allegations that a former police chief in Virginia and three other officers protected a prostitution ring that she said trafficked her. The eight-person civil jury found that the woman, identified in court only as Jane Doe, was not a victim of trafficking but was instead a willing sex worker. Once the jury reached that conclusion, it did not have to consider the question of the officers' alleged involvement in protecting the prostitution ring.
news.yahoo.comLawyer: 6-year-old who shot teacher has 'acute disability'
NORFOLK, Va. — (AP) — The family of a 6-year-old boy who shot and wounded his teacher in Virginia said Thursday that the child suffered from "an acute disability" and that one of his parents usually accompanied him in class but did not the week the shooting occurred. Also on Thursday, the hospital that had been treating the teacher said that she was released earlier this week and is continuing outpatient care. An accommodation for students with behavioral disabilities could mean seating them close to the teacher. Kennedy, a former special education teacher, said he’s never heard of parents serving a similar role in the classroom. The 25-year-old teacher hustled her students out of the classroom before being rushed to the hospital.
wftv.comVirginia teacher allegedly shot by 6-year-old student released from hospital
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — A Virginia elementary school teacher allegedly shot by a 6-year-old nearly two weeks ago was released from an area hospital earlier this week, a spokesperson for the facility confirmed on Thursday. Police have not identified the first-grade student they said was responsible, CNN reported. Richneck Elementary School teacher Abby Zwerner has been released from Riverside Regional Medical Center, a hospital spokesperson has confirmed. The Zwerner family respectfully asks for privacy during this time.”Officials originally said the shooting was not accidental, according to WVEC-TV. The family of the boy accused of shooting Zwermer released a statement on Thursday, according to CNN.
wftv.comJan. 6 defendant convicted on separate weapons charges
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — (AP) — A jury has convicted a Navy reservist from Virginia accused of storming the Capitol on Jan. 6 on separate charges that he illegally possessed silencers disguised to look like innocuous cleaning supplies. The case against Speed in Virginia hinged on three devices he bought in March 2021 that the government argued were unregistered silencers. Speed contended the devices are “solvent traps” to collect excess liquid that spills out when a gun is cleaned. The devices bought by Speed are made of titanium and contain baffles that would be found on silencers. Speed's lawyers, though, contended that the devices were indeed solvent traps, not silencers.
wftv.comLawyer: Gun used by child who shot teacher was 'secured'
“Our family has always been committed to responsible gun ownership and keeping firearms out of the reach of children,” the statement said. The shooting occurred Jan. 6 as teacher Abigail Zwerner taught her first grade class at Richneck Elementary in Newport News. The 25-year-old teacher hustled her students out of the classroom before being rushed to the hospital. Newport News police had said that the 6-year-old’s mother legally purchased the gun but that it was unclear how her son gained access to it. A Virginia law prohibits leaving a loaded gun where it is accessible to a child under 14, a misdemeanor crime punishable with a maximum one-year prison sentence and $2,500 fine.
wftv.comJan. 6 defendant convicted on separate weapons charges
A jury has convicted a Navy reservist from Virginia accused of storming the Capitol on Jan. 6 on separate charges that he illegally possessed silencers disguised to look like innocuous cleaning supplies. The conviction Wednesday night against Hatchet Speed in U.S. District Court in Alexandria comes a month after a jury failed to reach a verdict in his first trial, resulting in a mistrial.
news.yahoo.comAnger grows in Virginia city where first-grader shot teacher
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — (AP) — When a 6-year-old shot and wounded his first-grade teacher in this shipbuilding city near Virginia's coast, the community reacted with collective shock. There was no warning and no struggle before the 6-year-old pointed the gun at his teacher and fired one round, police said. “Gun violence has become a constant for our students,” William Fenker, an eighth-grade science teacher, told the board. “Our students do not wonder if there will be another school shooting,” Fenker told the board. “So you just prevented a school shooting but you just caused a 7-Eleven shooting,” he said.
wftv.comAnger grows in Virginia city where first-grader shot teacher
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — (AP) — When a 6-year-old shot and wounded his first-grade teacher in this shipbuilding city near Virginia's coast, the community reacted with collective shock. They said the shooting of Abigail Zwerner could have been prevented if not for a toxic environment in which teachers' concerns are systemically ignored. “Every day in every one of our schools, teachers, students and other staff members are being hurt,” high school librarian Nicole Cooke told the board. There was no warning and no struggle before the 6-year-old pointed the gun at his teacher and fired one round, police said. The 25-year-old hustled her students out of the classroom before being rushed to the hospital.
wftv.comAnger grows in Virginia city where first-grader shot teacher
When a 6-year-old shot and wounded his first-grade teacher in this shipbuilding city near Virginia’s coast, the community reacted with collective shock. During a three-hour school board meeting dedicated solely to public comment, Newport News teachers and parents said students who assaulted classmates and staff were routinely allowed to stay in the classroom with few consequences. “Every day in every one of our schools, teachers, students and other staff members are being hurt,” high school librarian Nicole Cooke told the board.
news.yahoo.comShooting by 6-year-old raises complex cultural questions
This is a country full of people who know exactly what they think about everything, and say so. We have a sort of script for these things,” said Talarico, who has studied how people remember indirectly experienced events. In an interview last week, Busch said he’s been surprised by the repeated use of “intentional” by Newport News police. He was a baby, pretty much.”Busch remembers being dumbfounded when notified of the 2000 shooting. “’Never Forget’," she says, "hasn’t effectively translated to ‘Never Again.’”___Associated Press writer Denise Lavoie in Richmond, Virginia, contributed to this report.
wftv.comShooting by 6-year-old raises complex cultural questions
“However, this is exactly what our community is grappling with today.” “I never thought elementary students being the shooter was a possibility we would ever see,” says Kendra Newton, a first-grade teacher in Florida. Jennifer Talarico, a psychology professor at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, believes the case hits differently in part because it violates society’s expectations for both school shootings (of which there were two others elsewhere in the country that day) and childhood itself.
news.yahoo.comSee something, say something: Anonymous tip lines successful in stopping possible school threats, attackers
School districts around the country are working to beef up security measures. This school year, safety of students is top of mind more than ever. That's why school systems like Roanoke City are having to rethink the way they do things.
4,000 beagles rescued from Virginia breeding facility, Humane Society says
The Humane Society said its animal rescue team began removing roughly 4,000 beagles from a mass breeding facility in Virginia, which received multiple violations for issues like inadequate veterinary care and insufficient food on July 21.
Man gets 12 years in case that tested broad search warrants
A Virginia man has been sentenced to nearly 12 years in prison on federal bank robbery charges in a case that tested the constitutionality of broad search warrants that use Google location history to identify people near the scene of a crime.