Six-Year-Old Who Shot Teacher Tells Police 'If You Want a Piece of Me, Come Get It' in Newly Released Bodycam

Newly published police body-camera footage shows the aftermath of the 6 January 2023 shooting at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, with a school employee holding the six-year-old boy as officers entered the classroom. In the recording, the child tells officers: 'If you want a piece of me, come get it on, b***h.'

The boy had shot his first-grade teacher, Abigail Zwerner, with a 9mm handgun. The bullet passed through her hand and entered her chest, leaving her with life-threatening injuries. Police said no pupils were injured.

Unsealed Footage Shows Aftermath of Classroom Shooting

The nearly three-minute recording, captured by Officer Brian Torrez's body camera, shows reading specialist Amy Kovac holding the child as police arrive.

The boy says he took the gun from his mother and repeatedly swears at officers. His face is blurred in the published recording.

The footage was introduced as prosecution evidence during former Richneck assistant principal Ebony Parker's criminal trial in May 2026. It was initially played in court before being sealed at the prosecution's request, supported by the defence.

The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press challenged the sealing order in June. Following a July hearing, Judge Rebecca M. Robinson ordered the footage unsealed on condition that the child's face be blurred. The newspapers published their report and the redacted recording on 6 October.

The publication offers a fuller view of the immediate aftermath of a shooting that prompted scrutiny of how a young child obtained a handgun and brought it into school. The boy was not criminally prosecuted because of his age.

Zwerner Described the Shooting in Court

Zwerner was teaching her first-grade class when the child pulled out the handgun and fired at her.

During her civil trial, she said she realised the weapon was real when he took it from his pocket. She instinctively raised her hand as he fired, and the bullet travelled through it before entering her chest.

'I thought I had died,' she told the court while recalling the moments after she was wounded.

Zwerner sought $40 million (£30.4 million) in a civil lawsuit alleging that school officials had received warnings that the child might have a gun but failed to take adequate action.

By the time the case went to trial, Parker was the remaining defendant. The lawsuit centred on allegations that she failed to respond to warnings about the possibility that the student had a firearm.

Civil Verdict and Criminal Case Had Different Outcomes

On 6 November 2025, a jury awarded Zwerner $10 million (£7.6 million) in her civil case against Parker. A September 2026 report said the former assistant principal was appealing the verdict.

Parker also faced eight felony child-neglect charges in separate criminal proceedings. A judge dismissed all eight counts in May 2026 after the prosecution presented its case, before the defence had to present its evidence.

The dismissal did not overturn the civil verdict. The two proceedings concerned different legal questions: the civil case addressed Parker's liability for Zwerner's injuries, while the criminal case concerned whether her alleged conduct met the requirements of Virginia's child-neglect law.

The body-camera recording was among the evidence introduced during the criminal trial before the charges were dismissed.

Mother Faced Separate Federal and State Proceedings

The child's mother, Deja Taylor, faced separate criminal cases over the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

She received a 21-month federal prison sentence in November 2023 after pleading guilty to unlawful drug use while possessing a firearm and making a false statement about her drug use when purchasing it.

Taylor had also pleaded guilty to felony child neglect in August 2023. On 15 December that year, a Virginia judge sentenced her to five years, with three suspended, leaving two years to serve. The state sentence was ordered to run consecutively to the federal sentence.

Federal prosecutors said Taylor bought the handgun in July 2022. Investigators said they did not find a lockbox, trigger lock or key for the weapon.

The local newspapers' latest report said Taylor was released from prison in February 2026.

The newly published recording adds to the public record of the shooting, showing officers arriving as a school employee restrained the child. Its release follows separate civil and criminal proceedings over the actions of adults responsible for his care and the school's response to warnings.