Mother of 6-year-old who shot Va. teacher pleads guilty to gun charges
The Washington Post (
archive.ph)
By Jim Morrison and Justin Jouvenal
2023-06-12 23:32:04GMT
Police look on as students return to Richneck Elementary. (Billy Schuerman/AP)
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The mother of a 6-year-old boy
who shot a teacher at Virginia’s Richneck Elementary School in January pleaded guilty to federal gun charges Monday, and a filing by prosecutors appears to undercut her lawyer’s assertion that the gun used in the shooting was safely stored.
Deja Taylor, 26, of Newport News, Va., pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of being an illegal drug user while possessing a firearm and one count of falsely claiming she did not smoke marijuana on the background check form she filled out when she purchased the handgun her son used in the shooting. Federal law prohibits users of illegal drugs from possessing a firearm, and purchasers have to attest they are not drug users at the time they buy a gun.
Under the terms of the plea deal, prosecutors agreed to recommend that Taylor face between 18 and 24 months in prison when she is sentenced — though that is not binding on the judge. She is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 18. Taylor
faces a second set of charges in state court that have yet to be resolved.
Deja Taylor (James Ellenson, an attorney for Taylor)
The case drew national attention because of the young age of the shooter, and sparked outcry in Newport News over whether administrators did enough to prevent it. Abby Zwerner, the first-grade teacher who was gravely wounded in the incident, filed a $40 million lawsuit against Richneck administrators and other Newport News school officials, alleging that an assistant principal ignored at least three warnings from teachers and school employees that the boy had a gun on the day of the shooting.
James Ellenson, an attorney for Taylor, had previously said the 9mm Taurus was safely secured on the top shelf of Taylor’s bedroom closet with a trigger lock attached. He said it was unclear how the boy got hold of the weapon before bringing it to school.
But federal prosecutors wrote in a statement of facts filed with the plea deal that investigators found no lock box, trigger lock or trigger lock key during a search of Taylor’s residences following the shooting. Authorities did find a firearm barrel lock in a trash bag that had been filled a few weeks before the shooting at one of Taylor’s homes, according to the statement of facts.
Taylor admitted to being a marijuana user for 11 years and to lying about her drug use when she purchased the handgun at a Yorktown, Va., gun shop in July 2022, according to the statement of facts. A search of her purse, a car and rooms at residences she shared with her mother and grandfather turned up large amounts of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, federal prosecutors wrote.
Taylor was arrested in April 2021 after she was stopped for speeding in Williamsburg, Va., according to the statement of facts. The arresting officer allegedly found marijuana in plain view, digital scales and marijuana and pills in Taylor’s purse. Her son, who later carried out the shooting, was in the car “directly next to … several marijuana edibles that looked like rice treats,” federal prosecutors wrote. Taylor denied knowledge of the drugs in the car.
Taylor, who wore black pants and shirt with a mustard-colored sweater, stood at a podium in the courtroom and spoke softly, saying “guilty” when the judge asked her for her plea. Her grandfather and mother sat in the first row behind her.
When asked if she had ever been treated for mental health issues or drug addiction, she answered mental health.
After the hearing, Gene Rossi, another attorney for Taylor, said his client was regretful about the shooting. She had previously apologized for what happened and
said her son suffered from ADHD.
“Ms. Taylor’s role in this tragedy is a complete accident and a complete mistake,” Rossi said after the hearing. “She takes full responsibility for her son’s actions and will feel guilt for the rest of her life.”
Both of Taylor’s attorneys declined to comment on prosecutors’ assertions that appeared to contradict the claim the gun was stored safely. Diane Toscano, an attorney for Zwerner, said in a statement that Taylor’s attorney’s story about the gun are false.
“The attorney’s statements that the gun was safely secured defied common sense. Now we know it also defied the evidence,” Toscano said.
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Jessica D. Aber said in a statement that enforcing federal firearms laws is key to public safety.
“Federal requirements for firearm ownership are not optional and exist to protect owners, their family members, and the communities where they live,” Aber said. “Failing to abide by those requirements when purchasing or possessing a firearm can have far-reaching consequences.”
Newport News police said the boy brought Taylor’s gun to school in a backpack on the afternoon of
Jan. 6.
Zwerner’s lawsuit alleges that she personally told the assistant principal, Ebony Parker, that the boy threatened to beat up a kindergartner and was in a “violent mood” in the hours before the shooting. Zwerner also alleges the boy showed the gun to a fellow student at recess and threatened to shoot the other boy if he told anyone.
After recess, Zwerner, 25, was teaching a class when the boy pulled out the gun at his desk and shot her, police said. The bullet hit her hand and chest, but Zwerner managed to evacuate the students from the classroom before she exited and collapsed in the school’s office.
Zwerner was rushed to the hospital in serious condition and has undergone multiple surgeries. She described the shooting as surreal in her
only interview about what happened on the “Today” show.
“Some days are not-so-good days where I can’t get up out of bed,” Zwerner said during the March interview. “Some days are better than others where I can get out of bed and make it to my appointments. From going through what I’ve gone through, I try to stay positive. I try to have a positive outlook on what’s happened and where my future’s heading.”
The boy’s family said he has been receiving mental health care since the shooting and is in the care of his grandfather. Newport News Commonwealth’s Attorney Howard E. Gwynn said in a previous interview that the boy would not be charged in connection with the shooting.
A Newport News grand jury indicted Taylor in April on one felony count of child neglect and a misdemeanor count of recklessly storing a firearm in such a way that a child could gain access to it. Ellenson said he is seeking a plea deal on those charges. A trial is scheduled for Aug. 15.
Gwynn has also empaneled a special grand jury in April to continue to investigate any security lapses that contributed to the shooting. To date, the special grand jury has not issued any indictments or reports on the incident.
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