Mother of 6-year-old boy who shot Virginia teacher pleads guilty to child neglect

FILE - Signs stand outside Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Va., on Jan. 25, 2023. The mother a 6-year-old who shot his teacher in Virginia is expected to plead guilty Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023, seven months after her son used her handgun in the classroom shooting. (AP Photo/Denise Lavoie, File) (Denise Lavoie, Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The mother of a 6-year-old student who police say intentionally opened fire on his first-grade teacher pleaded guilty Tuesday in a Virginia court in connection with the shooting in January.

Deja Taylor, 26, was charged with felony child neglect and could serve up to six months in state prison based on prosecutors’ recommendation. She will be sentenced Oct. 27.

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As part of a plea deal, a separate charge — a misdemeanor count of recklessly leaving a loaded firearm so as to endanger a child — was dropped, allowing Taylor to avoid a potential six-year prison sentence.

Read more on NBC News here.


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