The 6-year-old boy who shot his first-grade teacher in January will not be charged, the city prosecutor in Newport News, Virginia, told NBC News on Wednesday, but he has not yet decided whether any adults associated with the case could be.
In an interview with NBC News, Newport News Commonwealth Attorney Howard Gwynn said the “prospect that a 6-year-old can stand trial is problematic.”
Though, in theory, a child that young could be arrested and criminally charged, Gwynn said, it’s uncertain whether he would have the competency to understand the legal system or even what a charge means, and he also would be unlikely to effectively assist an attorney in his defense….