Bodycam Footage Shows 6-Year-Old Boy Swearing After Shooting Teacher in Virginia

On January 6, 2023, a six-year-old boy shot his teacher, Abby Zwerner, in the chest inside a first-grade classroom at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia.

Bodycam Footage Captures Classroom Aftermath and Threats

The three minutes of police bodycam video, obtained by the Virginian-Pilot and the Daily Press and reported by outlets including The New York Post, document the chaotic moments after the shooting in front of 16 students. In the footage recorded by Officer Brian Torrez, the first-grader—identified in court documents as J.T.—is seen shouting profanities at law enforcement. Both y’all want a f*ing piece of me, b*h? the boy yells at the officers, according to reporting by the Daily Express.

Reading specialist Amy Kovac rushed into the classroom after hearing a gunshot from the hallway and placed the child in a bear hug to hold him down, telling the boy to stop and later noting she called 911 after running in to see blood on the teacher. The video shows the boy shouting f* you b** at Kovac and flashing his middle finger, while another officer can be heard on the radio stating, We have the shooter. When Kovac tells her fellow officers, I told the [assistant principal] that there was a threat earlier about it, the boy remarks, That n—a retired last year, though it is unclear who he is referencing. When an officer asks, How old is he? Kovac responds, He is 6 years old, before hinting at earlier disciplinary issues with the boy by adding, 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. Later in the exchange, Kovac tells him, We know you know that language — and you know that’s not appropriate. Mrs. Kovac’s not happy with that. When an officer asks if small handcuffs are available, Officer Torrez warns his colleagues not to touch the child’s hands due to gun residue. Gesturing toward the firearm on the floor roughly 15 to 20 feet away, the boy tells officers he stole the gun from his mother’s bag and threatens them, stating, 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. Court testimony established that the child subsequently punched Kovac in the face, sending her glasses flying.

Court Documents Reveal How the Gun Reached School

According to court documents detailed in reporting by The New York Post and the Daily Express, J.T. retrieved the 9mm Taurus handgun from his mother’s purse on the morning of January 6, 2023. The child climbed onto a dressing table at home, took the weapon, placed it inside his backpack, and carried it to school. During an afternoon reading class, he pulled the firearm from his jacket pocket and fired a single round from a distance of about 10 feet, striking Zwerner in the hand and chest.

The bodycam recordings were introduced into evidence by prosecutors during the May trial of former Richneck assistant principal Ebony Parker. Parker faced eight felony child neglect counts related to warnings teachers allegedly brought to administration officials prior to the shooting. Those charges were dismissed later that month before the defense presented its case. Zwerner subsequently filed a civil lawsuit against Parker, resulting in a $10 million judgment awarded to the injured teacher in November 2025.

Legal Fallout and Current Status of Those Involved

J.T., who is now approximately 10 years old, resides in Newport News under the legal custody of his great-grandfather, according to the sourced reports.