2023年01月11日 VOA慢速英语：官员们考虑如何对待枪杀老师的孩子

 
A six-year-old student shot his teacher in a classroom in the American state of Virginia last week.
上周，一名 6 岁的学生在美国弗吉尼亚州的一间教室里开枪打死了他的老师。
 
Police Chief Steve Drew of Newport News, Virginia told reporters Monday that there was no fight, no physical struggle, and no warning.
周一，弗吉尼亚州纽波特纽斯的警察局长史蒂夫德鲁告诉记者，没有打架，没有身体挣扎，也没有警告。
 
"What we know today is that she was providing instruction. He displayed a firearm; he pointed it, and he fired one round," Drew said.
“我们今天所知道的是，她正在提供指导。他展示了一把枪；他指着它，然后开了一枪，”德鲁说。
 
The police chief said the teacher, 25-year-old Abby Zwerner, put her hand up to defend herself. The bullet went through her hand and into her upper chest. Her injuries were first thought to be life-threatening. But her condition has since improved and she is in stable condition at a hospital.
警察局长说，25 岁​​的老师 Abby Zwerner 举起手来为自己辩护。子弹穿过她的手，进入她的上胸部。她的伤势最初被认为有生命危险。但她的病情后来有所好转，目前在医院情况稳定。
 
Drew also said that the boy used a 9mm handgun in the shooting. The gun was legally purchased by his mother and was in the family's home. He said the boy brought it to school in his backpack the day of the shooting.
德鲁还说，这名男孩在枪击中使用了一把 9 毫米口径的手枪。这把枪是他母亲合法购买的，放在家里。他说，枪击发生当天，男孩把它放在背包里带到学校。
 
Drew praised Zwerner for quickly moving her students out of the classroom after she was shot. He said a recorded video at the school shows she was the last person to leave her classroom. Drew said: "She turned around [to] make sure every one of those students was safe."
德鲁称赞茨维尔纳在她被枪击后迅速将她的学生带出教室。他说学校录制的视频显示她是最后一个离开教室的人。德鲁说：“她转身[以]确保每个学生都安全。”
 
A school employee went into the classroom and restrained the boy after hearing the gunshot. Drew said the boy became "a little combative" and struck the employee.
一名学校员工在听到枪声后走进教室制服了男孩。德鲁说，这名男孩变得“有点好斗”并殴打了这名员工。
 
Police officers then arrived and brought him to a medical center under an emergency legal action. A judge will decide what the next steps are for the boy. Police have also talked with the boy's mother. It is unclear whether she could face any charges.
警察随后赶到，根据紧急法律行动将他带到医疗中心。法官将决定男孩的下一步行动。警方还与男孩的母亲进行了交谈。目前尚不清楚她是否会面临任何指控。
 
Questions remain
问题依然存在
 
As questions remained about the boy and his mother, a crowd gathered Monday night in Newport News to show support for the teacher.
由于关于这个男孩和他母亲的问题仍然存在，周一晚上，一群人聚集在纽波特纽斯，以表达对这位老师的支持。
 
Lauren Palladini works with Zwerner at Richneck Elementary School. She told the crowd that Zwerner is "sweet. She's thoughtful. She's caring. And she's been one of the most amazing teachers that I've been blessed to interact with."
Lauren Palladini 在 Richneck 小学与 Zwerner 一起工作。她告诉人群 Zwerner 是“可爱的。她很体贴。她很有爱心。她是我有幸与之互动的最了不起的老师之一。”
 
Amanda Bartley, who teaches at another elementary school in Newport News, asked everyone to pray for Zwerner and to "pray for the young man who did this."
在纽波特纽斯另一所小学任教的阿曼达巴特利 (Amanda Bartley) 要求每个人都为 Zwerner 祈祷，并“为做这件事的年轻人祈祷”。
 
Bartley told The Associated Press that many questions remain unanswered. Among them: "How did he get the gun? Why wasn't it locked up? A good gun owner knows that you lock up your weapon. You have a safety on. You keep the ammunition separate from the weapon itself."
巴特利告诉美联社，许多问题仍未得到解答。其中：“他是怎么拿到枪的？为什么不锁起来？一个好的枪支拥有者知道你锁上了你的武器。你有一个安全装置。你将弹药与武器本身分开。”
 
Gun owners can be charged under a Virginia law for leaving a loaded, unsecured gun that could harm or injure children under the age of 14. However, the state does not have laws giving details on how an unattended gun should be stored or requiring gun owners to lock up their weapons.
根据弗吉尼亚州的一项法律，枪支拥有者可能会因遗留可能伤害或伤害 14 岁以下儿童的上膛、不安全的枪支而受到指控。但是，该州没有法律详细说明如何存放无人看管的枪支或要求枪支拥有者锁定他们的武器。
 
Allison Anderman is the director of local policy at Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, a non-profit group. She said, "Virginia definitely has a weaker law than many other states that have child access prevention laws."
艾莉森·安德曼 (Allison Anderman) 是非营利组织 Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence 的地方政策主管。她说，“弗吉尼亚州的法律肯定比许多其他有防止儿童接触法的州弱。”
 
Legal experts said it is possible under Virginia law to criminally charge a 6-year-old child. But they believe it is highly unlikely that any government lawyer would even try.
法律专家表示，根据弗吉尼亚州的法律，可以对一名 6 岁儿童提出刑事指控。但他们认为，任何政府律师都不太可能尝试。
 
To be tried as an adult in Virginia, a person must be at least 14. In addition, common law in the U.S. known as the "infancy defense" holds that children under seven cannot be charged with a crime. The belief is that they are so young that they cannot form criminal intent.
在弗吉尼亚州，要作为成年人受审，一个人必须至少年满 14 岁。此外，被称为“婴儿期辩护”的美国普通法规定，7 岁以下的儿童不能被指控犯罪。人们认为，他们太年轻了，无法形成犯罪意图。
 
A judge would also have to find that a six-year-old could understand the legal action against him and assist in his own defense, said Andrew Block. He is a professor at the University of Virginia School of Law who was the director of Virginia's Department of Juvenile Justice from 2014 to 2019.
安德鲁布洛克说，法官还必须认定一个六岁的孩子能够理解针对他的法律诉讼并协助他自己辩护。他是弗吉尼亚大学法学院教授，​​2014 年至 2019 年担任弗吉尼亚少年司法部主任。
 
"It's virtually impossible to imagine a 6-year-old being found competent to stand trial," Block said.
“几乎不可能想象一个 6 岁的孩子被发现有能力接受审判，”布洛克说。
 
Julie E. McConnell, a law professor at the University of Richmond in Virginia, has worked on youth legal cases for more than 25 years. She said government lawyers can appeal in cases that affect the child's well-being and physical safety.
弗吉尼亚州里士满大学法学教授朱莉·E·麦康奈尔 (Julie E. McConnell) 从事青少年法律案件工作超过 25 年。她说，政府律师可以在影响孩子福祉和人身安全的案件中提出上诉。
 
A judge could then order services to deal with the child's behavior or parent's cooperation in treatment. The judge could also send a child to live with a relative, a child welfare agency, or a local social services agency.
然后法官可以下令处理孩子的行为或父母在治疗中的合作。法官还可以将孩子送到亲戚、儿童福利机构或当地社会服务机构居住。