(NewsNation) — The mother of a 6-year-old Virginia student who shot his teacher has been charged with felony child neglect, which one legal expert said was likely a “difficult decision” for prosecutors.
Teacher Abby Zwerner was shot in the hand and chest in January at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, as she sat at a reading table in her classroom. The 25-year-old teacher spent nearly two weeks in a hospital and required four surgeries.
Joshua Ritter, a criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor, says it was likely a “difficult decision” for prosecutors to make in trying to hold someone accountable.
“I think what they’re battling with is the kind of frustration that a lot of prosecutors have for the gun violence that we see happening throughout this country,” Ritter said Tuesday on “Banfield.” “We have an epidemic of young people, minors, children, who are committing acts of violence and I think they’re trying to figure out how to stop it … and maybe that’s holding parents responsible.”
On Monday, the Newport News Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office said a grand jury has indicted the student’s mother, Deja Taylor, for felony child neglect and a misdemeanor of recklessly leaving a loaded firearm so as to endanger a child.
Florida prosecutor Dave Aronberg argues this is the type of thing that should get parents in trouble.
“The prosecutors I think are making the right choice here,” Aronberg said Tuesday on “CUOMO.” “As long as these legislators in state capitols and members of Congress continue to be so cowardly and fear the NRA, it’s going to be up to us local prosecutors to try and take it into our own hands and do some justice to try to prevent the next shooting.”
The child’s teacher, Abby Zwerner, survived the shooting and has filed a $40 million lawsuit against the school district, alleging gross negligence and reckless breach of duty against the school board and three former administrators at the school. The suit says they failed to protect Zwerner against the student despite multiple warnings.
Mark Geragos, a high-profile criminal defense attorney, said who knew what about the child could play a pivotal race in the facts of the criminal case.
“I’m not so sure that I’m jumping on the ‘let’s just charge everybody’ bandwagon until were able to flesh out some of the facts,” Geragos said. “There’s just too much going on here that just doesn’t ring true to me.”
NewsNation affiliate WAVY-TV contributed to this report.