The mother of the 6-year-old Richneck Elementary School student who shot his teacher earlier this year is now facing federal firearms charges. Her lawyer did an interview with 13News after court Monday and said that his client plans to enter a guilty plea.
According to NBC News, 25-year-old Deja Taylor was charged with being an unlawful user of a controlled substance in possession of a firearm and making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm. Court documents that were filed Monday revealed, Taylor made a false claim on the firearms transaction form that he had to fill out when she purchased a 9mm handgun in 2022. Section G of that form asks, “Are you an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance?” Prosecutors said Taylor on the form when she answered no, and that she was actually a marijuana user.
While marijuana is legal in Virginia, the form notes that “the use or possession of marijuana remains unlawful under Federal law regardless of whether it has been legalized or decriminalized for medicinal or recreational purposes in the state where you reside.” Taylor is already criminally indicted on a charge of felony child neglect and a misdemeanor charge of endangering a child by reckless storage of a firearm.
As we previously reported, The Newport News Commonwealth’s Attorney, Howard Gwynn announced that there won’t be any crimes charges against the 6-year-old who shot his teacher. Gwynn said that he does not believe the law supports charging a 6-year-old child with aggravated assault.
“The general consensus [among experts across the country] is that a 6-year-old cannot form the requisite criminal intent to be guilty of an aggravated assault,” Gwynn said over the phone with 13News Now. “I think it is problematical to assume that a 6-year-old understands the criminal justice system enough to be competent to stand trial.”
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But Gwynn said that he does not believe there is a legal basis to charge a child and that his office, after receiving the case in February from Newport News police, is spending their time focusing on others. “Our objective is not just to do something as quickly as possible,” Gwynn said. “Once we analyze all the facts, we will charge any person or persons that we believe we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt committed a crime.”