Photo: Jay Paul/Getty Images
The 6-year-old Virginia boy who shot and wounded his first-grade teacher constantly cursed at staff and teachers, pHe would go after the students and try to whip them with his belt and once strangled another teacher “until she couldn’t breathe”according to a legal notice filed by a lawyer for the injured teacher.
The incidents were described in a notice sent to the Newport News school district by Diane Toscano, an attorney for teacher Abby Zwerner, informing the district that Zwerner intends to sue.
The notice describes the previous behavior problems the child had at Richneck Elementary School and the problematic interactions he had with teachers and students.
Two days before the shooting, the boy allegedly “knocked” Zwerner’s cell phone and smashed it, according to the claim notice. He was given a one-day suspension, but when he returned to Zwerner’s class the next day, he pulled a 9mm pistol from his pocket and shot him. while she was sitting at a table reading.
The notice details the allegations Toscano outlined last month during a news conference.
The document says that several hours before the shooting, at least three teachers and staff members warned school administrators that they believed the boy had brought a weapon to school. The boy’s backpack was searched, but no weapon was found, and administrators did not remove the boy from class, lock down the school, or call the police.
The document outlines several other warnings staff allegedly gave Ebony Parker about the boy having a gun.
“Assistant Principal Parker should have called the police, instead she failed to follow proper protocol and chose to do absolutely nothing,” the claim notice reads.
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