NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — The mother of a 6-year-old student who brought a handgun to school has been charged in the incident, police in Norfolk said Friday.
Police said in a news release they responded to Little Creek Elementary School in Norfolk at about 3:30 p.m. Thursday after receiving a report that a student had a weapon in the school. When officers arrived, a handgun was turned over to police by school staff. No injuries were reported, police said.
After an investigation, police charged the student’s mother with contributing to the delinquency of a minor and allowing access to a loaded firearm by children. The student’s mother, 35, was released on a criminal summons, police said. The Associated Press is not identifying the mother because doing so could reveal the identity of the student.
School officials did not immediately return a call seeking comment, and Superintendent Sharon Byrdsong did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
Police declined to release additional details.
The incident was first reported by The Virginian-Pilot.
Last month, a 6-year-old boy in Newport News, Virginia, shot and wounded his first-grade teacher, Abigail Zwerner. An attorney for Zwerner has filed a notice of intent to sue the Newport News school district, alleging that school administrators were warned repeatedly by staff hours before the shooting that the boy had a gun and was threatening other students.
Police have said the gun in the Newport News case was legally purchased by the boy’s mother. No charges have been brought in that case.