Deja Taylor, a 26-year-old mother from Virginia, has been sentenced to 2 years in prison for her role in the shooting of a teacher by her 6-year-old son at Richneck Elementary School. The incident took place in Newport News, Virginia, and left the teacher, Avigel Zwerner, seriously injured after being shot in the chest. According to the AP news agency, Zwerner underwent five surgeries and is still recovering from the incident.
On Friday, Circuit Court Judge Christopher Papill sentenced Taylor to two years in prison for failing to properly care for her children. “It is the responsibility of parents to protect children, to keep them away from negative things, which Taylor did not fulfill,” the judge was quoted as saying.
During questioning with the 6-year-old boy, he said that he climbed into the drawer to get the gun that his mother kept on the top of the drawer. After that, he put it in his bag when he went to school, and when he reached the classroom, he put it in his pants pocket. His mother said that the trigger of the gun was locked, but during the investigation, it was found to be a lie.
Taylor was previously sentenced to 21 months in prison last November after it was confirmed that she had consumed marijuana while carrying the gun. With this new sentence, she will have to stay in jail for 4 years. Taylor’s attorney, James Allenson, said that Taylor was a victim of severe marijuana addiction and domestic violence. He also said that she has health problems like schizoaffective disorder and bipolar disorder.
The child is now being placed with his grandmother. After the shooting, the teacher has also filed a case against the school.
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