The alleged shooting by a boy in Virginia is tragic, but it’s not unprecedented. This case from 2000 may shed light on what happens next.

When authorities in Newport News, Virginia, announced on January 6 that a 6-year-old boy brought a gun to school and shot his teacher, sending her to the hospital, the country was stunned. The city’s mayor said it was nearly impossible to grapple with what happened. The police chief called the case “unprecedented.”