Bodycam footage shows a six-year-old boy screaming abuse at police and a teacher after shooting his teacher in the chest during class. The first-grader, identified as J.T, threatened to fight officers and swore repeatedly in the footage obtained from Officer Brian Torrez, the Daily Press reports.
The incident took place at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, on January 6, 2023. J.T shot his teacher, Abby Zwerner, in front of 16 other pupils in their first grade class.
Teacher restrains boy after shooting
Reading specialist Amy Kovac rushed into the classroom and restrained the boy in a bear hug. Footage shows her telling the boy to 'stop', after which J.T shouts "f*** you b****" at her.
In the clip, police discover the 9mm handgun the child used about 20 feet away from him. Another officer can be heard saying on the radio: "We have the shooter."
Boy admits stealing gun from mother
Kovac told officers: "I told the [assistant principal] that there was a threat earlier about it." She confirmed the boy's age as six and explained his modified schedule, noting: "His mother is to pick him up at 2:30. This is his first week without his mother coming to school with him."
J.T says "f*** you b****" again and shows his middle finger to Kovac. An officer enquires if they have small handcuffs, but Officer Torrez advises against touching the boy's hands due to "gun residue" from the shooting. J.T points towards the gun and admits he "stole that from my mum" before threatening officers once more.
Court details and aftermath
The clip captures him saying: "If you want a piece of me, come get it on, b***h. I don't care if you call backup. I don't care if I go to jail, b***h," as Kovac continues her attempts to soothe him. Kovac responds: "We know you know that language, and you know that's not appropriate. Mrs Kovac's not happy with that."
Kovac later testified that at this point, J.T punched her in the face, sending her glasses flying. Court documents reveal that the boy had taken the gun from his mother's bag on the morning of the shooting after climbing onto her dressing table, and stashed it in his backpack to bring to school. He pulled the gun out from his jacket pocket and fired a single round at Zwerner from 10 feet away, hitting her hand and chest during a reading class.
The bodycam footage was presented in court during May's trial of former Richneck assistant principal Ebony Parker, who was facing eight felony child neglect charges related to events preceding the shooting. All of the charges were dismissed days later before the defence had to present its case. Zwerner was severely injured and was awarded £10 million following a civil trial against Parker which concluded in November 2025.
J.T's mother, Deja Nicole Taylor, 29, was incarcerated in a state prison for child neglect and also served time in a federal prison partly for falsifying information about drug use on a background-check form when she purchased the firearm used by her son. She was released from prison in February. J.T, now approximately 10, resides in Newport News under the guardianship of his great-grandfather.
