Virginia teacher shot by student was aware he was armed an hour before shooting: Report

The Virginia teacher shot by one of her first-grade students during a class this month was reportedly aware he was armed an hour before the violent incident occurred, according to a media report. 

Abigail Zwerner "texted a loved one before she was wounded that the boy was armed and that school officials were failing to act," a source reportedly told NBC News.

The teacher allegedly sent that message "about an hour before she was shot on Jan. 6," the network said.

It is unclear from NBC's report if Zwerner directly told school authorities about the gun prior to the incident, but the news network indicates that at least some school administrators may have been aware that the student was possibly armed. 

In one case a teacher allegedly "told an administrator [that] the boy showed a student the gun at recess and 'threatened to shoot him if he told anybody'," Zwerner's lawyer Diane Toscano said, according to NBC. 

At a town hall meeting earlier this month, Newport News School Superintendent George Parker III claimed that "at least one administrator was notified of a possible weapon" prior to the shooting.

Toscano said she "plans to bring forth a lawsuit on Zwerner's behalf" in response to the incident.