Make New York Post a Preferred Source The 6-year-old Virginia boy who shot his teacher in the chest in class yelled “f–k you, bitch” at an educator who was trying to restrain him and threatened to fight cops, disturbing bodycam video immediately after the attack shows.
The first-grader, identified in court only as J.T., is seen threatening officers and swearing a blue streak after police were scrambled to the classroom at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia.
“Both y’all want a f–king piece of me, b—h?!” the boy tells the officers, body camera footage from Officer Brian Torrez, obtained by the Virginian-Pilot and the Daily Press, shows.
The video was taken after J.T. shot his teacher, Abby Zwerner, in front of 16 students in their first grade class on Jan. 6, 2023.
In the footage, he is told to “stop” by reading specialist Amy Kovac, who rushed into the classroom after the shooting and held the boy down in a bear hug.
“F–k you, b—h,” J.T. tells Kovac.
The video shows police finding the a 9 mm Taurus handgun on the floor about 15 to 20 feet from the boy.
“We have the shooter,” another officer says on the police radio.
“I told the [assistant principal] that there was a threat earlier about it,” Kovac tells his fellow officers.
“That n—a retired last year,” J.T. says, although it isn’t clear who he is referring to.
“How old is he?” an officer asks Kovac, who responds, “He is 6 years old,” before hinting at earlier disciplinary issues with the boy.
“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,” Kovac says.
Kovac says she called 911 after hearing a gunshot from down the hallway and running into the classroom to see “blood” on the teacher.
“F–k you, b—h,” J.T. says again, flashing a middle finger at the reading specialist.
An officer asks if they have any “small handcuffs” for the shooter, before Officer Torrez warns his fellow cops not to touch J.T.’s hands due to “gun residue” from the shooting.
J.T. says he “stole that from my mom,” gesturing to the gun, before threatening officers again.
“If you want a piece of me, come get it on, b—h. I don’t care if you call backup. I don’t care if I go to jail, b—h,” he tells the officer, as Kovac tries to calm him down.
“We know you know that language — and you know that’s not appropriate. Mrs. Kovac’s not happy with that,” Kovac says.
At this point, Kovac later testified, J.T. punched her in the face, sending her glasses flying.
The boy had taken the gun from his mother’s purse on the morning of the shooting after climbing on her dresser, putting it in his backpack and taking it to school, court documents state.
Start your day with all you need to know Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.
During an afternoon reading class, J.T. pulled the gun from a jacket pocket and fired a single round at Zwerner from 10 feet away, striking her hand and chest, according to court documents.
The three minutes of bodycam footage were introduced as an exhibit by the prosecution during May’s trial of former Richneck assistant principal Ebony Parker, who was facing eight felony child neglect counts tied to events before the shooting.
All of the charges were dismissed days later before the defense had to make its case.
Zwerner, who was severely injured in the shooting, was awarded $10 million following a civil trial against Parker which ended in November 2025.
J.T.’s mother, Deja Nicole Taylor, 29, was sent to state prison for child neglect, and spent time in federal prison in part for lying about drug use on a background-check form when she bought the firearm used in the shooting.
J.T., who is now around 9 or 10, is living in Newport News in the custody of his great-grandfather.
