6-year-old in custody after Virginia teacher injured in elementary classroom shooting

Police said a 6-year-old who opened fired in a Virginia classroom and seriously injured a teacher was in custody.

Newport News police Chief Steve Drew said that the shooting was not an accident.

Police said in a statement that no students were hurt in the shooting at the school.

Drew said at an evening news conference that the child and teacher who knew each other were alone when the shooting occurred.

A round was fired when a student and a teacher got into a fight.

A woman in her 30s is in the hospital.

There was some improvement in the last update that we got, but her injuries are still considered life threatening.

The 6-year-old boy won't be named because of his age, according to the chief.

"I'm in awe, and I'm in shock, and I'm discouraged," he said at the news conference.

James J Fedderman, president of the Virginia Education Association, the union that represents many public school teachers in the state, said in a statement that the shooting is yet another example of violence affecting our public schools.

Pringle said she hopes the teacher recovers completely. She said that this won't stop until elected leaders take consequential action and stand up to the gun lobby.

What happened before the shooting is being investigated by police and school officials.

The police chief said that officers were at the school within minutes of getting the call.

Drew praised the efficiency of the students and faculty who were able to escape the locked down school.

He said he could not be more pleased.

All of the students have been moved to the gym and are getting ready to go home.

Drew told reporters earlier in the day that the priority was to get all the students back with their families.

The Mayor of Newport News promised to conduct an "after action" investigation and report the incident if it happened again.

The district has metal detectors that can be activated for certain days, but they aren't always in use at the elementary school.

Drew described the weapon as a handgun, but it was not clear where the child got it.

The article was first published on NBC News.