Canada
This article was added by the user . TheWorldNews is not responsible for the content of the platform.

Recovering teacher shot by 6-year-old: ‘It’s changed me’

Parents walk with children outside Richneck Elementary School, where according to the police, a six-year-old boy shot and wounded a teacher, in Newport News, Va., Jan. 6, 2023, in this screen grab from a handout video.
Parents walk with children outside Richneck Elementary School, where according to the police, a six-year-old boy shot and wounded a teacher, in Newport News, Va., Jan. 6, 2023, in this screen grab from a handout video. Photo by WVEC via ABC / Handout /REUTERS

RICHMOND, Va. — A Virginia teacher who was shot and wounded by her 6-year-old student said it has changed her life and she has vivid memories and nightmares about that day.

“I just will never forget the look on his face that he gave me while he pointed the gun directly at me,” first-grade teacher Abby Zwerner said during an exclusive interview with NBC’s Savannah Guthrie about the student. “It’s changed me. It’s changed my life.”

From our newsroom to your inbox at noon, the latest headlines, stories, opinion and photos from the Toronto Sun.

By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails or any newsletter. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300

She said she’s still in shock and can’t make sense of it, in a portion of the interview that was aired Tuesday morning on “Today.”

“I’m not sure when the shock will ever go away because of just how surreal it was and the vivid memories I have of that day. I think about it daily. Sometimes I have nightmares,” she said.

Speaking publicly for the first time since the Jan. 6 shooting, Zwerner said in a portion of the interview that was aired Monday on “NBC Nightly News” that she’s had a challenging recovery including four surgeries and has some days when she “can’t get up out of bed,” while others she is able to go about her day and make it to appointments.

RECOMMENDED VIDEO

“For going through what I’ve gone through, I try to stay positive. You know, try to have a positive outlook on what’s happened and where my future’s heading,” Zwerner said

Zwerner was hospitalized for nearly two weeks after being shot in the chest and left hand as she taught her class at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia. The shooting rattled the military shipbuilding community and sent shock waves around the country, with many wondering how a child so young could get access to a gun and shoot his teacher.