Deja Taylor, the mother of a six-year-old boy who shot his teacher in Virginia, has been sentenced to two years in prison.
Taylor, 26, reached a plea agreement with prosecutors in order to reduce his sentence, which could have been more than five years.
She was charged with child neglect as a result of the incident.
Her son took a gun from her purse and brought it to school in January, where he shot his first-grade teacher, Abby Zwerner.
Ms. Zwener was seriously injured, but she survived the gunshot. She was hospitalized for nearly two weeks, underwent five surgeries, and is reportedly still recovering.
Taylor’s son allegedly told a Richneck Elementary School employee in Newport News, Virginia, “I did it. I got my mom’s gun last night.”
Taylor initially told police that she had secured the weapon with a trigger lock, but no such lock was found.
Prosecutors and defense lawyers suggested a six-month sentence in the plea agreement, but the judge imposed the longer term during a hearing on Friday.
Her lawyer, James Ellenson, expressed his displeasure with the sentence.
“I disagree with the judge,” he told reporters. “I think the sentence was excessive and harsh, and I don’t think it accomplishes anything.”
Mr. Ellenson stated that he does not intend to appeal because the time it would take a higher court to reconsider the sentence is likely to be longer than the time Taylor will eventually serve on the child neglect charge.
In May, Taylor told ABC that she felt responsible for the incident and apologized to Zwerner. The boy has not been charged and is said to be attending a different school.
Meanwhile, Ms. Zwerner is suing the Newport News school district for $40 million (£31.4 million), claiming that administrators ignored multiple warnings that the boy had a gun.
