Virginia shooting of teacher by six-year-old ‘not accidental’, authorities say

Boy in custody after shooting wounds teacher in abdomen during an altercation, according to authorities

The apparently deliberate shooting of a Virginia school teacher by a gun-carrying six-year-old pupil has shocked many across the United States, causing outrage and horror even in a country long-used to regular school shootings that are rare elsewhere in the world.

Authorities have not described the exact circumstances of the shooting nor how they believe the boy came to possess the weapon or to whom it belongs. They may struggle to define exactly what action can be taken against someone so young, who is now in custody.