NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The Virginia teacher who was allegedly shot by her 6-year-old student has been released from the hospital, CNN reported.
Riverside Regional Medical Center said Richneck Elementary School teacher Abby Zwerner was released earlier this week and she continues to recover.
Zwerner, 25, was shot in the chest earlier this month while she was teaching her first-grade class. There was no fight, no physical structure and no warning before the 6-year-old boy allegedly pulled out a gun and shot Zwerner, Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew said.
Nearly two weeks after the shooting and Zwemer's release from the hospital, the young boy's family released their first statement, praising Zwerner and talking about their son's disability.
“Our heart goes out to our son’s teacher and we pray for her healing in the aftermath of such an unimaginable tragedy as she selflessly served our son and the children in the school,” the Thursday statement, released by attorney James Ellenson, said.
The statement then goes on to read, "Our son suffers from an acute disability and was under a care plan at the school that included his mother or father attending school with him and accompanying him to class every day. We will regret our absence on this day for the rest of our lives.”
The gun used in the shooting, which the family claims was secured, was legally purchased by the child's mother, CNN reported. Drew said she could face charges at the end of the investigation.
Richneck Elementary School remains closed until Jan. 30.
