官员考虑如何对待一名向老师开枪射击的孩子
Officials Consider How to Treat a Child Who Shot His Teacher
刘立军 供稿
TRANSCRIPT
A six-year-old student shot his teacher in a classroom in the American state of Virginia last week.
Police Chief Steve Drew of Newport News, Virginia, told reporters Monday that there was no fight, no physical struggle, and no warning.
“What we know today is that she was providing instruction. He displayed a firearm; he pointed it, and he fired one round,” Drew said.
The police chief said the teacher, 25-year-old Abby Zwerner, put her hand up to defend herself. The bullet went through her hand and into her upper chest. Her injuries were first thought to be life-threatening. But her condition has since improved and she is in stable condition at a hospital.
Drew also said that the boy used a 9mm handgun in the shooting. The gun was legally purchased by his mother and was in the family’s home. He said the boy brought it to school in his backpack the day of the shooting.
Drew praised Zwerner for quickly moving her students out of the classroom after she was shot. He said a recorded video at the school shows she was the last person to leave her classroom. Drew said: “She turned around to make sure every one of those students was safe.”
A school employee went into the classroom and restrained the boy after hearing the gunshot. Drew said the boy became “a little combative” and struck the employee.
Police officers then arrived and brought him to a medical center under an emergency legal action. A judge will decide what the next steps are for the boy. Police have also talked with the boy’s mother. It is unclear whether she could face any charges.
As questions remained about the boy and his mother, a crowd gathered Monday night in Newport News to show support for the teacher.
Lauren Palladini works with Zwerner at Richneck Elementary School. She told the crowd that Zwerner is “sweet. She’s thoughtful. She’s caring. And she’s been one of the most amazing teachers that I’ve been blessed to interact with.”
Amanda Bartley, who teaches at another elementary school in Newport News, asked everyone to pray for Zwerner and to “pray for the young man who did this.”
Bartley told The Associated Press that many questions remain unanswered. Among them: “How did he get the gun? Why wasn’t it locked up? A good gun owner knows that you lock up your weapon. You have a safety on. You keep the ammunition separate from the weapon itself.”
Gun owners can be charged under a Virginia law for leaving a loaded, unsecured gun that could harm or injure children under the age of 14. However, the state does not have laws giving details on how an unattended gun should be stored or requiring gun owners to lock up their weapons.
Allison Anderman is the director of local policy at Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, a non-profit group. She said, “Virginia definitely has a weaker law than many other states that have child access prevention laws.”
Legal experts said it is possible under Virginia law to criminally charge a 6-year-old child. But they believe it is highly unlikely that any government lawyer would even try.
To be tried as an adult in Virginia, a person must be at least 14. In addition, common law in the U.S. known as the “infancy defense” holds that children under seven cannot be charged with a crime. The belief is that they are so young that they cannot form criminal intent.
A judge would also have to find that a six-year-old could understand the legal action against him and assist in his own defense, said Andrew Block. He is a professor at the University of Virginia School of Law who was the director of Virginia’s Department of Juvenile Justice from 2014 to 2019.
“It’s virtually impossible to imagine a 6-year-old being found competent to stand trial,” Block said.
Julie E. McConnell, a law professor at the University of Richmond in Virginia, has worked on youth legal cases for more than 25 years. She said government lawyers can appeal in cases that affect the child’s well-being and physical safety.
A judge could then order services to deal with the child’s behavior or parent’s cooperation in treatment. The judge could also send a child to live with a relative, a child welfare agency, or a local social services agency.
I’m Mario Ritter, Jr.
VOCABULARY
1. firearm n. (formal) a gun that can be carried（便携式的）枪。例如：The police were issued with firearms. 警察都配发了小型枪支。
2. restrain v. to stop sb. / sth. from doing sth., especially by using physical force（尤指用武力）制止，阻止，管制。例如：The prisoner had to be restrained by the police. 警方只好强行制住囚犯。
3. combative adj. ready and willing to fight or argue 好战的；好斗的；好争论的
4. ammunition n. a supply of bullets, etc. to be fired from guns 弹药
5. competent adj. having enough skill or knowledge to do sth. well or to the necessary standard 足以胜任的；有能力的
6. appeal v. to make a formal request to a court or to sb. in authority for a judgement or a decision to be changed 上诉；申诉
QUESTIONS
Read the statements. Then listen to the news and decide whether the statements are true (T) or false (F). Then correct the false statements.
1. The bullet went through Zwerner’s hand and into her lower chest.
2. Her injuries were later thought to be life-threatening.
3. Zwerner was the first person to leave her classroom.
4. An employee from the school walked into the classroom and held the boy after hearing the shot.
5. The police took the boy to a medical center in the context of an emergency legal action.
6. Police have also talked with the boy’s mother, and it is clear she could face some charges.
7. Under a Virginia law, gun owners can be charged for leaving a loaded, unsecured gun that could harm or injure children under the age of 13.
8. Legal experts said it is impossible under Virginia law to criminally charge a 6-year-old child.
9. Julie E. McConnell has been working on youth legal issues for over 25 years.
KEY
Read the statements. Then listen to the news and decide whether the statements are true (T) or false (F). Then correct the false statements.
(F) 1. The bullet went through Zwerner’s hand and into her lower chest. （正确表达）The bullet went through Zwerner’s hand and into her upper chest.
(F) 2. Her injuries were later thought to be life-threatening.（正确表达）Her injuries were first thought to be life-threatening.
(F) 3. Zwerner was the first person to leave her classroom. （正确表达）Zwerner was the last person to leave her classroom.
(T) 4. An employee from the school walked into the classroom and held the boy after hearing the shot.
(T) 5. The police took the boy to a medical center in the context of an emergency legal action.
(F) 6. Police have also talked with the boy’s mother, and it is clear she could face some charges.（正确表达）Police have also talked with the boy’s mother, and it is unclear whether she could face any charges.
(F) 7. Under a Virginia law, gun owners can be charged for leaving a loaded, unsecured gun that could harm or injure children under the age of 13.（正确表达）Under a Virginia law, gun owners can be charged for leaving a loaded, unsecured gun that could harm or injure children under the age of 14.
(F) 8. Legal experts said it is impossible under Virginia law to criminally charge a 6-year-old child. （正确表达）Legal experts said it is possible under Virginia law to criminally charge a 6-year-old child.
(T) 9. Julie E. McConnell has been working on youth legal issues for over 25 years.
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