The teacher, a woman in her 30s, is being treated for life-threatening injuries. No students were injured in the shooting, police said.
The child, who is in first grade, has been taken into care. According to police, the child had the gun in the classroom.
— It was not a situation where someone walked around the school and shot, says police chief Steve Drew.
He adds that the shooting was not an accident.
The condition of the shot teacher had improved slightly by late afternoon, according to the police.
Newport News is a city of approximately 185,000 residents in southeastern Virginia.