A six-year-old boy shouted profanities at his teacher and threatened to fight police in bodycam footage after shooting her in the chest during class at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia.
The first-grader, identified as J.T, is seen threatening officers and swearing after police rushed to the school. In footage obtained from Officer Brian Torrez, the boy yells: "Both y'all want a f***ing piece of me, b***h?"
Shooting in first grade classroom
The footage was taken after J.T shot his teacher, Abby Zwerner, in front of 16 other pupils in their first grade class on January 6, 2023. Amy Kovac, a reading specialist, rushed into the classroom and held the boy down in a bear hug, with footage showing her telling the boy to 'stop'.
J.T then yells "f*** you b****" at Kovac. In the clip, police find 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."
Teacher describes earlier threat
Kovac said to the officers: "I told the [assistant principal] that there was a threat earlier about it." When asked about the boy's age, Kovac confirms he is six. "He has been on a modified schedule. His mother is to pick him up at 2:30. This is his first week without his mother coming to school with him," Kovac says.
J.T says "f*** you b****" again and shows his middle finger to Kovac. An officer asks if they have small handcuffs but is told by Officer Torrez not to touch the boy's hands due to "gun residue" from the shooting.
Boy admits stealing gun from mother
J.T then gestures towards the gun and says he "stole that from my mum" before threatening officers again. The clip hears him say: "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 to try and calm him down.
"We know you know that language, and you know that's not appropriate. Mrs Kovac's not happy with that," Kovac says. Kovac later testified at this point J.T punched her in the face and sent her glasses flying.
The court documents state that the boy had taken the gun from his mother's bag on the morning of the shooting after climbing on her dressing table, and putting it in his backpack to take to school. J.T took the gun out from his jacket pocket and fired a single round at Zwerner from 10 feet away, striking her hand and chest during a reading class, court documents say.
Legal aftermath and sentencing
The bodycam footage was shown in court during May's trial of former Richneck assistant principal Ebony Parker, who was facing eight felony child neglect counts tied to events before the shooting. All of the charges were dismissed days later before the defense had to make its case.
Zwerner was severely injured in the shooting and was awarded $10 million following a civil trial against Parker which ended in November 2025. J.T's mother, Deja Nicole Taylor, 29, was sent to state prison for child neglect and also spent time in federal prison in part for lying about drug use on a background-check form when she bought the gun used by her son. She was released from prison in February. J.T, who is now around 10, is living in Newport News in the custody of his great-grandfather.
