6-year-old first grade student shot teacher at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News

An incident involving gunfire has apparently taken place at the Richneck Elementary School, according to the police.

Police took a SIX-YEAR-OLD student into custody Friday after a shooting at Richneck Elementary School sent a teacher to the hospital, police and school officials in the city of Newport News said.

On Friday afternoon, police were called to Richneck Elementary School in Newport News in response to a shooting that had taken place there.

Units called for active shooter advising 1 teacher shot in the abdomen located in office.

The teacher was transported to the hospital in critical condition.

According to NNPS, the suspect who was responsible for the shooting has been taken into custody. FOX3 has been informed by sources within NNPS that the student who shot the teacher was in the first grade.

According to the Chief of Police in Newport News, Steve Drew, a 6-year-old kid and his teacher got into “an altercation” before the boy pulled a firearm on the teacher and shot her. The child was detained for further investigation. No students were wounded.

However, at least one child who claimed to have witnessed the shooting identified the person who carried it out as a fellow student.

A 6-year-old student who saw the shooting, but whose mother asked that her daughter’s name not be publicized, reported seeing it. The youngster claimed to a reporter from the Daily Press that one of her classmates “on intentionally” shot their female teacher. The instructor knelt down.

Newport News Public Schools issued the following statement:

There has been a shooting incident at Richneck Elementary School. A teacher was injured and transported to a local hospital. All of the students are safe. The perpetrator is in police custody. The Police Department and school division leaders are onsite and actively investigating. Parent and student reunification is taking place at the Richneck gym door. Parents and guardians must present a picture ID to pick up their child.

The school is located at 205 Tyner Drive, off Jefferson Avenue.

At approximately 2:00 in the afternoon, the school was placed in lockdown mode. At approximately 3:20 p.m., the lockdown was lifted, and officers immediately began the process of reuniting parents and students at a reunification site.

According to Police Chief Steve Drew, there is one person currently detained by the police. He refused to discuss what took place, but he did say that after the event, the most important thing was to make sure that students were safe and that they were able to process what had occurred by having counsellors get in touch with them.

Inside of the school, law enforcement officers are currently processing the scene and collecting evidence. He was unable to specify which area of the school the incident took place in.

Call the Newport News Police Department at 757-247-2500 if you have any information that could be useful, or call the Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP to provide information while maintaining your anonymity.

This is a developing story that will be updated when more information is available.