A former assistant principal at a Virginia elementary school is set to stand trial, accused of disregarding multiple warnings that a 6-year-old student had brought a loaded firearm onto school premises, which was subsequently used to shoot his first-grade teacher.
Trial Commences in Newport News
Ebony Parker's criminal trial is scheduled to begin Monday in Newport News, Virginia. She faces eight counts of felony child neglect, one for each bullet in the weapon brought into Abby Zwerner's classroom at Richneck Elementary School in January 2023. Prosecutors note that each count carries a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment upon conviction.
According to court documents, the charges allege that Parker “did commit a willful act or omission in the care of such students, in a manner so gross, wanton and culpable as to show a reckless disregard for human life.”
Rarity of Criminal Charges Against School Officials
Legal experts highlight that criminal charges against school administrators following a school shooting are exceptionally uncommon. The incident sent shockwaves through the military shipbuilding community of Newport News and the nation, raising questions about how a child so young could access a firearm and shoot his teacher.
In November, a civil jury awarded $10 million to Zwerner, finding that Parker had ignored repeated warnings about the child possessing a gun. Zwerner was shot while seated at a reading table, sustaining severe injuries. She spent nearly two weeks in hospital, underwent six surgeries, and has limited use of her left hand. A bullet narrowly missed her heart and remains lodged in her chest.
Parker was the sole defendant in the civil lawsuit, as a judge had previously dismissed the school district’s superintendent and principal as defendants. The lawsuit argued that Parker had a duty to protect Zwerner and others after being informed about the gun. Zwerner's attorneys contended that Parker failed to act in the hours before the shooting, despite multiple staff members alerting her that the student had a weapon in his backpack.
Zwerner testified that she first learned of the gun before class recess from a reading specialist who had been tipped off by students. The shooting occurred a few hours later. Despite her injuries, Zwerner managed to evacuate her students from the classroom before collapsing in the school office.
Court records indicate that Zwerner is scheduled to testify in the criminal case. The student's mother was sentenced to nearly four years in prison for felony child neglect and federal weapons charges. Her son told authorities he had climbed on top of a dresser to retrieve the gun from her purse.
