David Riedman, the founder of the K-12
School Shooting Database that tracks U.S. shootings on school grounds dating to 1970, said shootings by a child on a campus are extremely rare.
"This is the 17th shooting by someone under 10 years of age in a school. It's rare for a 6-year-old to pull the trigger," he said.
Police tape hangs from a sign post outside Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Va. on Jan. 7, 2023, following a shooting. Riedman added the case was very similar to when a 6-year-old fatally shot a classmate at a Michigan school in 2000. In that case, the student killed Kayla Rolland as a teacher was lining up children in a hallway for a trip to the library.
Shootings involving children are entirely preventable, he said.
"This is a tragic situation because it's extraordinarily preventable," Riedman said. "A young student cannot purchase their own gun, which means they have to seek it from an adult. This was a gun that this student could not get on their own and if an adult had properly secured it, the shooting would have never happened."
Since 1970, more than 200 employees have been shot on school properties, according to the database.
That includes 167 teachers, 44 principals or assistant principals, 59 other school staffers and 18 school bus drivers.
Police, city and school district officials had not publicly named werner as the teacher who was wounded prior to Monday.
James Madison University identified the wounded teacher as Abby Zwerner, one of its graduates.
JMU President Jonathan R. Alger said in a statement that the campus, nearly 200 miles northwest of Newport News, was
"deeply saddened by the reported tragic shooting of JMU alumna Abby Zwerner."
Police said in a statement that Drew met with her and her family Saturday morning.
Both the police department and Riverside Regional Medical Center, where the teacher was recovering, said Saturday that she had been stabilized.
"She has improved," police said in the statement. "Because of the ongoing nature of the investigation, we will not be releasing any further information at this time."
The 6-year-old student was not identified because of his age.
Richneck was closed to students this week, officials said.
"I'm in awe, and I'm in shock, and I'm disheartened," George Parker III, superintendent of Newport News Public Schools, said at the media briefing last week.
Taking this into consideration can you give me some SECURITY CONCERNS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS and OFFER SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO PROTECT STUDENTS AND TEACHERS.