A 6-year-old boy who shot and killed a teacher in Virginia is in police custody, authorities say

(CNN) The 6-year-old boy who shot and killed a teacher at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia Friday afternoon is in police custody, Police Chief Steve Drew said.

“The individual is a 6-year-old student. He is currently in police custody,” Drew said. “We are in touch with our lawyer and some other agencies to help us provide the best services to this young man,” he added.

Drew said the 30-year-old teacher was shot inside the classroom, adding that it was “not an accidental shooting.”

The police chief said there was an argument between the teacher and the student who had the gun and only one round was fired.

Drew, who had previously said the teacher was in critical condition, said late Friday that his injuries were considered non-life-threatening, but “there was some improvement at the last update we got.”

The police chief said there were no other students involved.

The investigation is going on, he said.

“We’re going to investigate and there are questions we want to ask. I want to know where that gun came from and what the situation was,” Drew added.

Richneck Elementary School will be closed Monday, Newport News Public Schools Superintendent Dr. George Parker said.

“I’m shocked and disheartened,” Parker said at a news conference Friday. “We need to educate our kids and keep them safe.”

“We need community support, continued support, to make sure that young people don’t get guns, and today I sound like a broken record because I’m going to say it again: we need to keep guns out of the reach of our young people,” said the superintendent. .

Authorities are also investigating what happened before the shooting, Parker added.