By Constantin Weg
What drove the child to this act of madness?
In the US state of Virginia, a six-year-old child shot his teacher and seriously injured him. The two had argued in a classroom on Friday afternoon (local time) when the elementary school child pulled out the gun and pulled the trigger.
The incident happened at Richneck Elementary School in the small town of Newport News (pop. 185,000), an elementary school with about 550 children. US authorities did not say whether the child is a boy or a girl. Little is known about the victim either. According to police, it is a woman in her 30s.
Several police units raced to the school after the shot was reported
Photo: picture alliance / ASSOCIATED PRESS | Billy Schuerman
Accordingly, the two were alone in the room when the trigger was pulled. Police Chief Steve Drew told WTKR that the other children were escorted into the gymnasium by teachers after the shot was fired. The six-year-old child was taken into custody by police officers. Drew also confirmed that the incident was not an accident.
Life-threatening injuries
“The most important thing now is that the children are safe,” Drew told US reporters. And on the teacher’s condition: “Her injuries are still considered life-threatening, but after the last update we received, the situation has improved somewhat.”
Now it is to be investigated how the child was able to get hold of the weapon. Shots and school shootings in the United States are frequent. It is not uncommon for children to become perpetrators: in November, a ten-year-old shot his mother (44) dead when she did not want to buy him expensive technology.
For years, critics have protested against lax gun laws in large parts of the United States. Tragic: There are metal detectors in the Richneck elementary school, but they are only activated on certain days. Now the security concept is to be revised.
It is unclear when normality will return to the shaken school. Classes on Monday are cancelled.