Chief Steve Drew told reporters that the female teacher over 30 years old was shot by a 6-year-old boy on January 6. The female teacher's injuries were determined to be life-threatening.
The teacher who was seriously shot by a student was treated in the hospital and is showing signs of improvement.
There is no further information about how the 6-year-old boy got the gun. According to the police, there was a fight in the classroom that led to an explosive fire.
This was not a accidental shooting. I want to know where the gun came from," said police officer Drew.
According to the police, the 6-year-old boy who shot at the teacher was detained.
In this incident, no students were injured. Students in the class where the shooting occurred were transferred to a gym to ensure safety and had someone guide them. After that, the students were reunited with their parents.
Newport News Mayor Phillip Jones said there would be a full report on the incident and officials would make policy adjustments to prevent similar incidents from recurring.
School shootings have been happening in the US with a major tragedy recently being the 18-year-old gunman who murdered 19 students and 2 teachers in Uvalde, Texas in May last year.
According to Gun Violence archive's database, there are an estimated 44,000 gun-related deaths in the US in 2022, with about half of these being homicides, accidents and self-defense, and half being suicide.
