First-grade teacher Abby Zwerner spoke out publicly for the first time since one of her students shot her on January 6, 2023 (Picture: NBC News)
The teacher who was shot by her six-year-old student has spoken out in her first interview since the horrifying incident over three months ago.
Abby Zwerner, the first-grade teacher at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, spoke to Savannah Guthrie on NBC’s Today Show on Tuesday morning.
Zwerner said that the day leading up to the shooting on Friday, January 6 was unremarkable. ‘The morning it felt like just a regular school day,’ Zwerner said.
That changed when one of her students, a six-year-old boy, pulled a handgun out of his backpack and shot her a single time.
Zwerner’s arm was still in a cast after a recent reconstructive surgery on her hand (Picture: TODAY)
‘There was no physical struggle or fight,’ Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew said after the initial investigation. ‘She was providing instruction to her class.’
‘I remember him pointing the gun at me,’ Zwerner said. ‘I remember the look on his face, I remember the gun going off, I remember feeling something.’
She continued: ‘In that moment, my initial reaction was: “your kids need to get out of here. This is not a safe classroom anymore, and you need to go find help for your self.” It was pretty shocking.’
Police Chief Drew called Zwerner a ‘hero’ for her actions in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. ‘I believe that Ms Zwerner saved lives on Friday,’ he told reporters at a press conference.
Abby Zwerner is seen with her lawyer, Diane Toscano (Picture: TODAY)
According to the chief, the teacher made sure each of her first-grade students was evacuated from the classroom before she went to get help for herself.
‘I just wanted to get my babies out of there,’ Zwerner said. ‘They were screaming. I think they knew as well that they had to get out of there, but they were extremely frightened.’
The next few minutes were harder for the teacher to recall. ‘I got them out, and I went to get help for myself,’ Zwerner said. ‘I didn’t know at the time but my lung had collapsed, and I started not being able to breathe. Very raspy breathes and my vision going out.’
All of her memories after that point were ‘still kind of a blur,’ Zwerner said. ‘I remember I went to the office and I just passed out. I thought I had died.’
Zwerner said that she ‘tries to stay positive’ since the shooting, but is still struggling with health issues almost four months since the incident.
‘Some days are better than others, when I am able to get out of bed and make it to my appointments,’ the injured teacher said.
‘The initial gunshot went through my left hand and ruptured the middle bone, as well as the index finger and the thumb,’ Zwerner said. She was still wearing a cast on her left hand from another recent surgery.
However, Zwerner said that the bullet going through her hand most likely prevented it from ending her life when it struck her chest. ‘It could have been fatal,’ she said.
She also revealed that a portion of the bullet remains embedded in her chest, and will probably stay there for the rest of her life. ”I think it will always be there,’ she said.
The teacher said the incident has taken a severe emotional and psychological toll on her as well. ‘I think about it daily. Sometimes I have nightmares,’ she told the morning show host.
‘There’s some things that I’ll never forget, and I just will never forget the look on his face that he gave me when he pointed the gun directly at me. That’s something I will never forget. It’s changed me. It’s changed my life.’
The parents of the six-year-old child said their son suffers from an ‘acute disability.’ Since the shooting, the child has been receiving court-ordered treatment at a medical facility.
Earlier this month, prosecutors announced the child would not face charges for the shooting. It is unclear if his parents or any other adults will face charges in the future.
Zwerner’s attorney, Diane Toscano, declined to comment on the district attorney’s decision not to charge the child, but said she is following the office’s investigations closely.
Toscano said that Zwerner intends to sue the school district for not taking adequate steps to ensure her safety. According to Toscano, administrators were warned that the student had a gun three times before he fired it at Zwerner, but did not take appropriate actions after the reports.
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‘I just will never forget the look on his face that he gave me when he pointed the gun directly at me.’