The Virginia school teacher shot by her six-year-old student was injured after she sought to confiscate the weapon from the child who had revealed the gun in class, a parent of another child in the class has said. Brittaney Gregory, whose son is in the same class as the shooter at Richneck elementary school in Newport News, Virginia, detailed her son’s reaction to the shocking scene to the Washington Post newspaper. Gregory said her son told her he that he felt like he couldn’t breathe when the gun was fired. Gregory said the class was reading and about to go to art class when the child pulled a handgun from their backpack and pointed it at his teacher, Abby Zwerner. “She was going to confiscate it, and that’s when he shot,” Gregory told the Post. Gregory described Zwerner as a “sweet lady” and “very attentive”. She said Zwerner was her son’s favorite teacher. Zwerner, 25, had injuries described as life-threatening but she is now continuing to improve in the hospital. She was shot in the abdomen through her hand. After she was shot, the teacher told the other students to run. The students stayed in lockdown in another teacher’s classroom. It is not known how the child came to be in possession of the handgun he used to shoot his teacher. The six-year old remains in custody and Newport News city officials have said it is not likely a child so young can be prosecuted, but his guardian or other adult could face misdemeanor charges if the gun came from the child’s home. The Newport News mayor, Phillip Jones, said: “Newport News is a strong community, but we are saddened and disheartened by the terrible tragedy that took place at Richneck elementary school. It is almost impossible to wrap our minds around the fact that a six-year-old first-grader brought a loaded handgun to our school and shot a teacher; however, this is exactly what our community is grappling with today. Our thoughts and prayers are with the teacher and her family, and we are hopeful she will recover from this ordeal.” In a statement, Virginia’s governor, Glenn Youngkin, said: “My administration has offered assistance in response to the shooting at Richneck elementary school in Newport News and stand at the ready to help in any way we can. I am continuing to monitor the situation and am praying for the continued safety of all students and the community.” Classes at Richneck elementary were cancelled on Monday and Tuesday following the shooting.