RICHMOND, Va. -- When Brenda Coles saw what was unfolding at her son's old elementary school in Newport News on January 6, she could not believe what she saw.
"I was shocked, I was like, 'Richneck?" Coles said.
Newport News Police said a six-year-old boy shot his first-grade teacher with a handgun at Richneck Elementary School during the school day that Friday.
Officials said the shooting was not accidental.
"I was like, 'Oh my God.' I had chills. Even just saying it, I still have chills," Coles said.
About two decades ago, Coles was a PTA President at the school. She held the position for several years, working alongside students, teachers, administration, and parents in and out of her designated office space in the building.
Coles said she continued to keep in touch with teachers who stayed there long after she moved to Richmond, calling on them when she heard the news that a school she always thought to be safe for students and staff, was no longer that.
"I always refer back to Richneck being the standard for a great school for elementary kids, because of my lived experience there," Coles said.
Based on where the school is located, nestled in a mostly military neighborhood, Coles said she was not surprised to hear that a weapon had made its way into the school.
"Knowing that area of Richneck, I'm not surprised that there are guns in the homes, because you're in a military location, where the majority of people who live there are military, and I'm sure that hasn't changed much," Coles said.
Police have not shared any information on how the child may have gained possession of the gun, where it came from, or how the child was able to bring it into the school building. [Editor's note: Police have scheduled a press conference for Monday afternoon.]
The school district's Superintendent George Parker III highlighted those uncertainties in a statement Saturday.
"There are many concerns that we will need to unpack before we will be able to determine if any additional preventative measures would have impacted the probability of the incident occurring," part of the statement reads.
Coles, an activist for about 40 years, with a background in social work and mental health, said the shooting left her with a series of questions she hoped school officials would answer.
"What were the signs? Were the signs ignored? I find it hard that signs were ignored, that there were not signs prior to this child being able to bring a gun to school?" Coles questioned.
She said she hoped parents, teachers, and school staff can work together to address any red flags that may be seen in a child, either in or out of the classroom.
"There's a lot of work that we have to do in ensuring that our children are being heard, that our staff are getting the right resources needed, but are children getting the right resources as well?" she said.
Newport Police said officials had been in contact with a local prosecutor and some other entities to help get services to the child following the shooting.
Per Virginia law, the child is too young to be both criminally tried as an adult or be placed in any kind of juvenile detention center.
Police have not released any information on the whereabouts of the child's caretakers, nor if they could face any criminal charges for the child being able to obtain a weapon.
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