Mother Sentenced for Marijuana Use While Owning Gun Used in School Shooting

Deja Taylor faces further sentencing for child neglect as victim sues school for ignoring warnings.

Deja Taylor, the mother of a 6-year-old boy who shot his teacher in Virginia, was sentenced to 21 months in prison for using marijuana while owning a firearm, which is illegal under U.S. law.
Taylor's son took her handgun to school and shot Abby Zwerner in her first-grade classroom in January, seriously wounding the educator.
Taylor still faces a separate sentencing in December on the state level for felony child neglect. Zwerner is suing the school system for $40 million, alleging that administrators ignored multiple warnings the boy had a gun.
Taylor's attorneys argued that she needs counseling for issues that include schizoaffective disorder, a condition that shares symptoms with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and treatment for marijuana addiction.
Taylor's grandfather has had full custody of her son, now age 7, since the shooting. The boy told authorities he obtained the gun by climbing onto a drawer to reach the top of a dresser, where the firearm was in his mom's purse.