The Virginia teacher who was injured after being shot by a six-year-old student inside a classroom speaks out for the first time since the incident.
Talking with nbc newsSavannah Guthrie, 25-year-old Abigail Zwerner, said she is still recovering from her gruesome injuries after a young student pulled out a gun in class and shot her in January at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia.
In the interview that airs Tuesday, March 21 at 7 a.m. on TODAY, Zwerner told Guthrie that he continues to face “hurdles and challenges” after several operations in the three months since the incident.
‘Some days are not so good days, when I can’t get out of bed. Some days are better than others, where I can get out of bed and make it to my appointments,” Zwerner said.
News of the shooting shocked the small community and caused outrage within the district after it was revealed that Zwerner and other educators had gone to administration officials saying the boy was rumored have a gun on him.
Speaking with TODAY, Abigail Zwerner, 25, said she is still recovering from her gruesome injuries after a young student pulled out a gun in class and shot her in January at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia.
At the time, DailyMail.com reported that the student had shot Zwerner in the hand, whose name has never been made public, and that the bullet had struck her in the chest.
The 25-year-old teacher gave the interview while appearing with her left hand bandaged from surgery to repair a bone that was damaged in the shooting.
At the time, DailyMail.com reported that the student had shot Zwerner in the hand, whose name has never been made public, and that the bullet had struck her in the chest.
Zwerner told the TODAY host that he is recovering from various physical injuries.
One of those injuries is a wound in his side where doctors inserted a breathing tube after his lung collapsed.
The teacher, who was hailed a hero for saving other students in her class from the boy, told Guthrie that she was exhausted from the constant series of surgeries and appointments.
“But, you know, to get through what I’ve been through, I try to stay positive,” said Zwerner, who spent two weeks in the hospital after being shot.
Zwerner now says she has trouble with simple tasks like making a fist, getting dressed and opening her own water bottle.
His doctors have told him that it is not clear if he will ever regain normal function in his left hand. She continues to attend physical therapy, which he said to her is “exhausting.”
‘Physiotherapy is not only physically exhausting but also mentally. I’m supposed to move them once every hour, for the whole hour,” he said.
“Just manipulating them to get the blood flowing and to get that movement back into the hand,” Zwerner said of what he has to do with his hand.
Despite her ‘obstacles and struggles’, the teacher told Guthrie that she is hopeful for the future.
“You know, try to have a positive perspective on what happened and where my future is headed,” the teacher said in the interview.
Zwerner was taken to Riverside Regional Medical Center after the shooting.
“You know, try to have a positive perspective on what happened and where my future is headed,” said the teacher in the interview with TODAY.
Since the shooting, Zwerner has hired attorneys to sue the district.
Zwerner and his legal team claim there were security protocol lapses on “multiple levels” and that the administration was warned about the child in question.
“I can tell you that there was failure on multiple levels in this case, and there were adults who were in positions of authority who could have prevented this tragedy from happening and didn’t,” said attorney Diane Toscano.
Toscano said the boy, who will not face charges in the shooting, had behavior problems and a pattern of trouble with staff and other students.
The child was reportedly he received a one-day suspension for breaking Zwerner’s cell phone just days before the shooting occurred.
Toscano said that the day the shooting occurred, three Teachers had gone to administrators about the boy’s behavior and the suspicion that he had a weapon on campus.
In a statement after the shooting, the boy’s family defended their actions, saying the gun had been kept locked up in their home.
The parents said they “have always been committed to responsible gun ownership and keeping firearms out of the reach of children.”
They also claimed that the boy has a disability and is currently receiving the ‘treatment he needs’ as a temporary detention in a medical center.
Since the shooting, Zwerner has hired attorneys to sue the district.
Zwerner and his legal team claim there were security protocol lapses on “multiple levels” and that the administration was warned about the child in question.
Zwerner’s attorney said the boy, who will not face charges in the shooting, had behavior problems and a pattern of trouble with staff and other students.
After shooting, Newport News school board members to oust Superintendent George Parker III
Newport News Prosecutor Howard Gwynn told NBC News earlier this month that the boy, despite being charged, would not face charges.
“Our goal is not just to get something done as quickly as possible,” Gwynn said.
“Once we look at all the facts, we will charge any person or persons we believe we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that they committed a crime,” he continued.
After the shooting, metal detectors and Newport News school board members were set up to oust Superintendent George Parker III.
Additionally, Richneck’s principal was transferred to a different position within the district after the incident, while the school’s assistant principal resigned entirely.
