A teacher is in hospital in life-threatening condition and a 6-year-old student is in custody after a shooting at an elementary school in Virginia on Friday, police said.
Newport News police said “a round was fired” during an altercation in a classroom with the 6-year-old male student at Richneck Elementary School at around 2 p.m. The teacher was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries, police said.
“The only thing I can tell you is that there was an altercation between a teacher and a student, who did have the firearm, and then a round was fired,” Drew said.
The police chief said the incident occurred in a classroom and was isolated.
“This was not a situation where we had a student or any other individuals going around [the school] firing,” Drew said.
Drew said police were working with partner agencies and organizations to bring in the resources needed to process the perpetrator. Police are currently investigating how the child got the gun.
Drew also praised the school staff and students for their response during the incident.
“All the children inside the school have been taken from the room with their teachers, and escorted to the gymnasium,” Drew said. “They’re all safe in there. They’re actually in there with counselors and officers.”
Newport News Mayor Phillip Jones, who has been in office since Jan. 1, said the incident hurt his heart, and he praised the police for their response.
“It’s a dark day for Newport News, and we’re going to learn from this, and we’re going to come back stronger,” Jones said.
“Today, our students got a lesson in gun violence and what guns can do to disrupt not only an educational environment but also a family, a community,” said George Parker, superintendent of Newport News Public Schools.
“This is evidence today that these are the things that happen when we have access to weapons,” he added.
Parker said the school would be closed on Monday to allow the school to focus on the mental well-being of staff and students.
