Virginia mother of 6-year-old who shot teacher to plead guilty to felony gun charges in plea deal

The mother of a 6-year-old Virginia boy who shot his teacher at the beginning of the year is set to plead guilty to federal felony charges in connection with the gun used in the attack. Deja Taylor, 26, has been charged with unlawful use of a controlled substance while possessing a firearm, and making a false statement while purchasing a firearm.

Taylor has also been indicted on state charges of felony child neglect, and one count of recklessly leaving a firearm to endanger a child.



Taylor's attorney, James Ellenson, announced on Monday that she would be pleading guilty as part of a deal with prosecutors that "eliminated the need for the government to take the case to a grand jury," according to CNN.
 

"Our action follows very constructive negotiations we had with federal authorities," Ellenson explained, adding that, "the terms of the agreement, which we believe to be fair to all parties, will be disclosed when we enter the guilty plea."

As CNN reports, Taylor allegedly "knowingly made a false and fictitious statement" to a licensed firearms dealer when she purchased the Taurus 9mm by stating that she was not an unlawful user of a controlled substance "when in fact … she was an unlawful user of marijuana." While decriminalized in Virginia, marijuana remains illegal at the federal level.

Taylor, who has no criminal record, turned herself in to police in April and has cooperated with proceedings. She has repeatedly expressed remorse over her son's actions, calling the incident "an unimaginable tragedy" and offering her deepest sympathies to the teacher, Abigail Zwerner. Taylor's son had an "acute disability" that required a parent to be present with him in class, but that day the parents hadn't been able to join. 

Zwerner, who taught first grade at Richneck Elementary in Newport News, was shot point blank in the chest while trying to confiscate the gun from the boy, but survived. 

She has since filed a $40 million lawsuit against the school alleging that administrators knew about Taylor's son's "history of random violence," but did not act appropriately to mitigate potential risks.