Mother of first-grader who shot teacher receives 21-month sentence for drug use

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The mother of a first-grader who shot his teacher at a Virginia elementary school in January was sentenced Wednesday to 21 months in prison for using marijuana while owning a firearm.

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Deja Nicole Taylor, 26, of Newport News, had pleaded guilty to federal charges of using illegal drugs while possessing a gun and lying about her drug use when purchasing the gun, WTKR-TV reported.

Taylor was also sentenced to two years of probation.

Police said her son shot first-grade teacher Abby Zwerner at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News on Jan. 6, 2023, according to the television station.

Investigators later found nearly an ounce of marijuana in Taylor’s bedroom, WAVY-TV reported. They also found evidence of frequent drug use after looking at her text messages and paraphernalia, according to The Associated Press.

Authorities were called to the school shortly before 2 p.m. EST on Jan. 6 after Zwerner, 25, was shot while teaching her class. The single shot went through Zwerner’s left hand -- which she held up as the boy opened fire -- and then struck her in the upper chest and shoulder, according to The Virginian-Pilot.

The teacher was able to shuttle 18 students out of the classroom before seeking medical attention, the newspaper reported. She was released from a hospital after several weeks of treatment.

According to court documents, federal agents searched Taylor’s home less than two weeks after the shooting, WTKR reported. Agents found the marijuana and a box of ammunition, court documents stated.

On the ATF form Taylor filled out when purchasing her firearm, she falsely said that she was not an unlawful user of marijuana or other controlled substances, according to the television station.

Taylor, 26, still faces a separate sentencing in December on the state level for felony child neglect.

Zwerrer’s attorney, Diane Toscano, filed a $40 million lawsuit against the school district in April, alleging gross negligence and reckless breach of duty against the school board and three former administrators at the school. The suit accused school officials of failing to protect Zwerner against the student despite multiple warnings.

George Parker III, who had been superintendent of Newport News Public Schools since 2018, was terminated by the Newport News School Board by a 5-1 vote in the wake of the shooting, WTKR-TV reported.