Bodycam Shows Virginia Boy Cursing at Cops After Shooting Teacher

Newly released bodycam footage reveals the shocking behavior of a six-year-old boy who shot his teacher in a Virginia classroom in January 2023. The video captures the child hurling obscenities at police officers and staff, declaring he did not care if he went to jail.

The incident took place on January 6, 2023, at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia. The boy, identified in court documents by the initials J.T., smuggled a 9mm Taurus handgun into school inside his backpack after taking it from his mother's purse. During a reading lesson, he pulled the weapon from his coat pocket and fired a single shot from a distance of three meters, severely injuring his teacher in the hand and chest.

Bodycam Footage and Arrest

In the newly unsealed police footage, another teacher, Amy Kovac, is seen holding the struggling boy in a tight bear hug to prevent further violence. The child repeatedly curses at staff and police, gesturing aggressively and attempting to strike those restraining him.

Both of you want a piece of me, bitches? If you want a piece of me, come get it. I don't care if you call backup. I don't care if I go to jail, the boy shouted at the responding officers.

Legal Aftermath and Settlement

The injured teacher subsequently filed lawsuits and was awarded a $10 million settlement in a civil suit concluded in November 2025 against the former assistant principal. The boy's mother served a prison sentence for child neglect and firearms storage violations before being released in February.

• The shooting occurred on January 6, 2023, in front of 16 students.

• The weapon was a 9mm Taurus handgun retrieved from the mother's purse.

• The boy, now nine or ten years old, currently lives under the care of his great-grandfather.