Bodycam shows 6-year-old saying ‘I don’t care if I go to jail’ after shooting Virginia teacher
Warning: Graphic content, readers’ discretion advised
🚨 A 6-year-old shot his teacher. Richneck Elementary, Jan 6, 2023. Court unsealed Officer Brian Torrez's bodycam Oct 6, 2026. 🎥 The Virginian-Pilot / Daily Press https://t.co/TPphaycltx
— Patriot (@_Patriot1776Q_) October 7, 2026
NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA: Newly released bodycam footage shows the disturbing moments after a 6-year-old first-grader shot his teacher inside a Virginia classroom, including the child swearing at officers, threatening to fight them and telling police he had taken the gun from his mother.
The footage, recorded after the January 2023 shooting at Richneck Elementary School, captures officers finding the 9mm Taurus handgun and arresting the boy, identified in court documents as JT.
The three-minute video was later introduced during the trial of former assistant principal Ebony Parker.
6-year-old threatens officers after shooting teacher
The bodycam footage shows JT being restrained by reading specialist Amy Kovac, who had rushed into the classroom after hearing a gunshot. “F**k you, bi**h,” the boy tells Kovac at one point.
He later tells officers, “If you want a piece of me, come get it on. I don’t care if you call backup. I don’t care if I go to jail.”
An officer warns colleagues not to touch the boy’s hands because of possible gun residue. JT is also seen gesturing toward the gun and saying he “stole that from my mom.”
The shooting happened on January 6, 2023, during an afternoon reading class at Richneck Elementary School.
According to court documents, JT took the gun from his mother’s purse that morning after climbing onto a dresser. He put the weapon in his backpack and brought it to school.
He later pulled the gun from a jacket pocket and fired one round at teacher Abby Zwerner from about 10 feet away. The bullet struck her hand and chest.
Kovac told officers she had called 911 after hearing the gunshot and entering the classroom, where she saw Zwerner bleeding.
Richneck shooting bodycam shown during trial
The three-minute recording was introduced by prosecutors during the May trial of former Richneck assistant principal Ebony Parker.
Parker faced eight felony child neglect charges connected to events before the shooting, but all charges were dismissed days later before the defense presented its case.
Zwerner later won a $10 million award following a civil trial against Parker in November 2025.
The embed below provides important context on the legal fallout from the 2023 Richneck Elementary shooting and the allegations surrounding former assistant principal Ebony Parker.
JUST IN: Former teacher shot by 6-year-old student awarded $10 million verdict against ex-assistant principal in Virginia The jury returned its decision against Ebony Parker, a former assistant principal at Richneck Elementary School Abigail Zwerner was seriously wounded and ended up having multiple surgeries Parker was accused of ignoring warnings that a 6-year-old boy may have brought a gun to school In January 2023, the child sh*t Zwerner once while she was teaching her first-grade class at Richneck Elementary in Newport News, Virginia The bullet went through her hand and into her chest Parker faces a separate criminal trial this month on eight counts of felony child neglect
— Unlimited L's (@unlimited_ls) November 6, 2025
JT’s mother, Deja Nicole Taylor, was sentenced to state prison for child neglect.
She also spent time in federal prison after admitting to lying about drug use on a background-check form when purchasing the firearm used in the shooting. Taylor was released from prison in February.
JT, now around 9 or 10, lives in Newport News in the custody of his great-grandfather.
