The first – grade Virginia teacher, Abigail Zwerner, who was seriously wounded by a 6 – year – old student in January says she is “doing okay, but her recovery has been grueling”.
Abigail Zwerner, 25, speaking publicly for the first time in her interview with the “TODAY” show since a 6 – year – old student shot her during class in January.
Zwerner said, she faces “challenges” following multiple operations, her left hand is not of full use now, which was hit by a bullet. Opening a water bottle, making a fist, getting dressed has become extremely difficult and her doctors are uncertain about the use of her hand like before.
She also says, she has been through four surgeries, which have left her mentally and physically exhausted and she is supposed to move her fingers once every hour to get the moment back into her hand, she told “TODAY” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie.
“Some days are not so good days, where I can’t get up out of bed. Some days are better than other days, where I am able to get out of my bed and make it to my appointments”, Zwerner said with her left hand bandaged after a fourth surgery of a severely damaged bone. “From going through what I’ve gone through, I try to stay positive and to have a positive outlook on what’s happened and where my future’s heading”, said Zwerner, a first – grade teacher at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News.
The physical scars are healing, Zwerner said, including a wound of her body where doctors inserted a chest tube.
According to the Newport News School board, on January 24, the boy was given a one – day suspension for breaking the Abigail’s cellphone and on the next day when he returned to school, he fired a shot on Abigail’s chest and on her hand with a 9mm Taurus handgun, while she sat at a reading table.
The Police Chief, Steve Drew hailed Abigail Zwerner and said she escorted her students to safety and left the classroom in the last. After the shooting, Zwerner was rushed to the hospital and was hospitalized, nearly for two weeks. The family of the 6 year old boy has expressed regret for the shooting. The family said in a statement that the gun was safely secured in the home on the top shelf in the mother’s closet with a lock. They have no idea how the boy got a hold of the gun. The child’s mother has legally purchased the gun, Police said.
The local prosecutor, Howard Gwynn had said, “Our objective is not just to do something as quickly as possible, once we analyze all the facts, we will charge any person or persons that we believe we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt committed a crime”.
Police has finished their investigation in the month of February. As per the Virginia law, the child is under 7 years old and he cannot be criminally charged under Virginia law. So, it is possible that the boy’s mother could face charges for failing to secure the gun.
“This is the 17th shooting by someone under 10 years of age in a school”, David Riedman, said the founder of k-12 school shooting database. “It’s rare for a 6 – year – old to pull the trigger”, said the founder of K-12 school.
