On 13 Nov 2023, The Patriot <patriot1@protonmail.com> posted some
news:uiuko0$uuml$10@dont-email.me:

> She deserves to be beaten to death and her sprog should be used for
> transgender surgery experiments.

The mother of a 6-year-old who shot his first-grade teacher in a
Virginia classroom was sentenced on Wednesday to one year and nine
months in prison after pleading guilty in June to using marijuana while
owning a firearm and making false statements about drug use.

The sentencing of the 26-year-old mother, Deja Taylor, was the latest
development in a shooting that shocked the country in January when the
authorities detailed how a child had retrieved a gun from his home, put
it in his backpack and brought it to Richneck Elementary School in
Newport News, Va.

There, the authorities said, the boy pulled out the gun in a classroom,
aimed it at his teacher, Abigail Zwerner, and fired. The bullet passed
through her hand and struck her chest, causing serious injuries.

Although recreational marijuana is allowed in Virginia, federal laws
prohibit addicted or �unlawful� drug users from owning a gun.

Federal prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney�s Office in Eastern Virginia
argued that Ms. Taylor was a �marijuana abuser whose chronic, persistent
and, indeed, life-affecting abuse� extended the case beyond any sort of
recreational use.

Ms. Taylor�s lawyer, Gene Rossi, said by phone on Wednesday that his
client feels �contrite about the unintended consequences from her
actions.�

�She feels incredibly remorseful and has a deep sense of guilt,� Mr.
Rossi said, adding that Ms. Taylor has �severe addiction issues, mental
health challenges that caused, in part, the incident that resulted in
her son getting a hold of the gun.�

In August, Ms. Taylor pleaded guilty to a state charge of felony child
neglect. Her sentencing in that case is scheduled for December.

Earlier this month, a judge ruled that Ms. Zwerner could move forward
with a $40 million lawsuit against the Newport News Public Schools.

The child, who will be living with his great-grandfather while his
mother serves her prison sentence, will not be charged.

On Jan. 12, six days after the shooting at Richneck Elementary School,
agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
searched the garbage bin of Ms. Taylor�s home and found �copious amounts
of marijuana and packaging for marijuana edibles,� according to
prosecutors.

Agents then searched her grandfather�s residence and found more
marijuana in her bedroom; they also searched her purse and found a glass
jar with marijuana, marijuana cigarettes and marijuana packaging
material, court records state.

Court records show that on July 19, Ms. Taylor completed a federal form
required to purchase a firearm and checked a box that indicated she was
not �an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana.�

But prosecutors argued that Ms. Taylor had checked that box while
knowing that she was �an unlawful user of marijuana� when she purchased
the firearm.

Ms. Taylor�s son told investigators after the shooting that he had
gotten the gun by climbing on a dresser. Prosecutors said that Ms.
Taylor told investigators that she might not have put the trigger lock
on her gun the night before the shooting.

Prosecutors said the case underscored �the inherently dangerous nature
and circumstances that arise� from mixing marijuana use and a lethal
firearm.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/15/newport-news-va-shooting-mother-senten
ced.html