A Virginia woman has been sentenced to two years in prison for child neglect after her 6-year-old son shot his first-grade teacher inside a classroom earlier this year.
Deja Taylor, the mother of the child, had reached a plea deal with prosecutors and faced a maximum sentence of five years.
However, a judge ruled on Friday that she should serve two years behind bars.
The incident occurred on January 6 at Richneck Elementary in Newport News, Virginia. Taylor's son, whose identity has not been disclosed, used his mother's handgun to shoot Abigail Zwerner, the first-grade teacher. According to authorities, the child had accessed the firearm by climbing onto a drawer and reaching the top of a dresser, where Taylor had kept the gun in her purse. He then concealed the weapon in his backpack and later in his pocket before firing at Zwerner in front of her class.
Initially, Taylor claimed that she had secured the gun with a trigger lock. However, investigators were unable to find any evidence of a trigger lock. This led to further scrutiny of Taylor's actions and her responsibility in the incident.
It is worth noting that Taylor's sentencing for child neglect comes just a month after she was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for using marijuana while in possession of a firearm.
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