A teacher who was shot by a 6-year-old boy sent a chilling text message an hour before she was attacked.
Abigail Zwerner, 25, reportedly expressed her frustration to a loved one amid concerns one of her student's at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News was armed with a gun in his backpack.
In the single text message she "showed her frustration" and claimed senior staff at the school weren't helping her on January 6.
"She was frustrated because she was trying to get help with this child, for this child, and then when she needed help, no one was coming," a source close to the case told NBC.
Newport News Public Schools spokesperson Michelle Price was asked whether text messages from Abigail and other staff members were taken seriously.
She said: "Anything that has been reported to our school leadership team in regards to concerns at Richneck from teachers and staff members is part of the investigation. It’s being thoroughly investigated.”
Abigail's lawyer Diane Toscano said at a press conference on Wednesday there were three teachers who reportedly went to the school's administrators on January 6 to express their concern at the child's behaviour.
They also told staff the boy had a gun on him in the school campus.
The lawyer said Abigail had contacted the school administrator between 11.15am and 11.30am after the student allegedly threatened to beat up a classmate.
A second colleague went to administrators at 12.30pm after she had searched the boy's backpack herself amid concerns of a gun.
Lawyer Diane said: "The administrator downplayed the report from the teacher and the possibility of a gun."
While a third teacher told school administrators before 1pm the boy showed a gun to his classmate during his break and "threatened to shoot him if he told anybody," according to the lawyer.
The administrator told the teacher to "wait the situation out because the school day was almost over," she added.
Her lawyer believes the school administration "could not be bothered" and the shooting would have been "entirely preventable" if the administration "had taken action when they had knowledge of imminent danger," she said.
She said the school "failed to act, and Abby was shot".
The lawyer confirmed she is suing the school administration on Abigail's behalf as she described the teacher as "the best of us."
The victim still has a bullet lodged in her body and "is in between surgeries and physical therapy appointments with a career in question," her lawyer said.
Abigail is a long way from a full recovery but is at home gaining strength, she added.
Diane said said: "The road to full recovery will be long, and as her physical condition improves, the psychological wounds cut deeply and remain fresh."
The school system's superintendent, George Parker III, was voted out of his job on Wednesday evening after it emerged "at least one administrator was notified of a possible weapon."
During a school board meeting Parker was ousted by 5-1 vote.
He leaves on February 1 when an interim superintendent will take his role.
A Newport News police spokeswoman: "A school employee was notified of a possible firearm at Richneck Elementary before the shooting occurred.
"The Newport News Police Department was not notified of this information prior to the incident."
There have been no charges announced, according to police.
