In many school shootings, the person who pulled the trigger — often a current or former student — is the only one blamed for the crime. But the arrest last week of a mother, whose 6-year-old son shot his teacher , and a related investigation of school employees shows how parents and educators are facing increasing scrutiny over any responsibility they may bear. While national statistics are hard to come by, at least seven criminal cases against parents have been filed in the last eight years after a child brought a gun to school and it was fired, intentionally or not.
In Virginia, the mother of the 6-year-old was charged with felony neglect, while prosecutors have started investigating whether the actions of Newport News Public Schools employees could lead to criminal charges. The criminal probe was announced a week after the wounded teacher sued the school system . She accused administrators of ignoring multiple warnings that the boy had brought a gun to school. Criminal investigations of parents as well as schools are rare, experts say. But they appear to be gaining traction as communities demand accountability and new ways to prevent the violence.
No one tracks such data, according to groups that advocate for more firearm restrictions. But the number appears small compared to the overall number of school shootings. Guns came from the home of a parent or close relative in 76% of school attacks where firearms were used, according to a 2019 assessment by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The K-12 School Shooting Database lists more than 2,000 incidents of gun violence in schools dating back to 1970. A review of its database and news articles shows that at least 11 adults have been charged, including the Newport News mother. Seven cases have been brought since 2015.
Among them was a Chicago mother charged last year with child endangerment after a gun in her second-grader’s backpack accidentally discharged at school, injuring a 7-year-old classmate. In 2020, the mother of an Indiana teen received probation for failing to remove guns from her home after her mentally ill son threatened to kill students in 2018. He fired shots inside his school and later killed himself.
Teenager Ethan Crumbley pleaded guilty to killing four students at his Michigan high school in 2021. His parents were charged with involuntary manslaughter and accused of ignoring his mental health needs and making the gun accessible at home. The Newport News boy shot first-grade teacher Abigail Zwerner at Richneck Elementary on Jan. 6 as she sat at a reading table . The 25-year-old was struck by a bullet in her hand and chest. She was hospitalized for two weeks and has had four surgeries. The boy’s mother bought the gun legally, according to police. Her attorney, James Ellenson, has said she believed her gun was secured on a high closet shelf with a trigger lock.
She faces up to six years in prison if convicted of felony child neglect and a misdemeanor charge of recklessly storing a firearm. Ellenson said the mother hopes to broker a plea deal with prosecutors. Although charges against parents have been rare, the issue has gained more attention with the rising number of shootings, according to Eve Brensike Primus, who teaches criminal procedure at University of Michigan law school.
