Bodycam footage released Tuesday offers a raw, profanity-laced window into the immediate aftermath of the 2023 shooting at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, where a 6-year-old boy shot his teacher, Abby Zwerner. The video, obtained by The Daily Wire, shows the child — identified only as “J.T.” — swearing at police and school staff as they restrain him and secure the weapon.
The footage comes from the bodycam of Officer Brian Torrez, who responded to the scene alongside several other officers and a sheriff’s deputy. It captures the frantic first moments after the shooting, with reading specialist Amy Kovac holding the boy and directing officers to the gun on the floor.
“The gun is there,” Kovac says, pointing across the room. “He just admitted that he had one … he had one bullet.”
The investigation later revealed that the 9mm Taurus handgun still contained additional bullets when it was recovered.
As officers moved in, the boy lashed out. “Both y’all want a f*cking piece of me, b*tch?!” he shouts. Later, when asked about the weapon’s location, he gestures and says, “It’s over there, whore.”
Kovac repeatedly tries to redirect him. “Stop,” she tells him. “That’s not how we speak to each other.” The boy responds with another round of expletives: “F*ck you. F*ck you. F*ck you, b*tch.”
At one point, the child claims ownership of the gun. “My mom had that,” he says, adding, “I stole that from my mom.” He then threatens the officers: “If you want a piece of me, come get it on, b*tch. I don’t care if you call backup. I don’t care if I go to jail, b*tch.”
Kovac also provides officers with crucial context, noting that she had flagged a threat earlier. “I told the (assistant principal) that there was a threat earlier about it,” she says. When the boy hurls a racial slur at someone who “retired last year,” Kovac reminds the officers, “He is 6 years old. He has been on a modified schedule. His mother is to pick him up at 2:30. This is his first week without his mother coming to school with him.”
The video shows officers working to secure the scene. “We have the shooter,” one says over the radio. Torrez puts on gloves and confirms, “Gun is secure.” A deputy stands watch over the weapon until it is identified and taken into evidence. At one point, an officer asks, “We have some small handcuffs?”
As Kovac continues to hold the boy, she asks, “Do you want me to stay?” Torrez replies, “You can stay for now if you feel comfortable,” then asks, “Um, is he okay?”
“He’s fine,” Kovac says. “You fine? Turn around. When you shot the gun, did anything hurt you?”
After officers determine the boy has what appears to be gun residue on his hands, they instruct everyone not to touch him. The sergeant eventually takes him from the classroom: “Young man, come here. You’re gonna come with me, son.”
The footage was initially sealed because it involves a minor, but it was later unsealed with the condition that the boy’s face be blurred. His name was muted in the audio.
Zwerner, who was shot in the hand and chest, later collapsed in the school office. Sixteen other students fled the room during the incident. The shooting sparked a national conversation about school safety and how a 6-year-old could gain access to a firearm and bring it to class.
The release of the bodycam video adds a visceral new layer to a case that has already drawn intense scrutiny. It shows not only the immediate chaos but also the disturbing demeanor of a first-grader who, according to the footage, had stolen his mother’s gun and seemed unbothered by the prospect of jail.
Legal experts note that the boy is far below the age of criminal responsibility in most jurisdictions, and the case has raised difficult questions about parental accountability and school security protocols. The source of the weapon — his mother’s handgun — has been a focal point of the investigation.
Newport News police have not issued additional comments beyond the release of the video. The Daily Wire reported that the footage was made public on Tuesday.
For educators and law enforcement, the video serves as a stark reminder of the unpredictability of school violence and the challenges of responding to an armed suspect who is barely old enough to read. Kovac’s calm attempts to manage the boy’s language and behavior, even as he insulted her and admitted to stealing a gun, underscore the impossible situation teachers can face.
The investigation into the shooting and how the child obtained the firearm continues. No charges have been announced against the boy, who remains below the age of prosecution. The focus has instead turned to the adults involved and the systemic failures that allowed a 6-year-old to bring a loaded weapon to school.
As the community continues to grapple with the aftermath, the bodycam video provides a harrowing record of a morning that began like any other and ended with a teacher fighting for her life and a child in custody, cursing at the officers who rushed to stop him.
Source: www.dailywire.com — https://www.dailywire.com/news/bodycam-shows-foul-mouthed-6-year-old-cursing-out-cops-after-shooting-teacher