A jury has awarded $10 million to Abby Zwerner, a former first-grade teacher in Virginia, who was seriously injured after being shot by a 6-year-old student in January 2023. This civil case emphasized allegations against the school’s former assistant principal, Ebony Parker, for failing to act on numerous warnings regarding the child’s violent behavior on the day of the shooting.
Zwerner, now 25, was shot in the hand and chest while supervising students at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia. After the incident, she spent nearly two weeks hospitalized and underwent six surgeries; the bullet, which remains embedded near her heart, has left her with limited use of her left hand and ultimately forced her to leave her teaching career.
The lawsuit, which initially sought $40 million in damages, highlighted Zwerner’s attempts to inform Parker of the boy’s troubling behavior on the morning of the incident, including threats of violence toward another student. Despite her concerns, Parker reportedly had no response to Zwerner’s warnings.
The situation escalated when two separate students notified a reading specialist that the boy had a gun in his backpack. Though Zwerner had observed the child removing something from his bag, searches were conducted without finding a weapon. Parker dismissed these claims, stating the boy’s pockets were not large enough to conceal a firearm and took no further action despite another student’s assertion that the boy had shown him a gun during recess.
An hour after these reports, the shooting took place, resulting in Zwerner being the only victim. Reports indicate that after being shot, she managed to evacuate her classroom and that a school employee restrained the boy, who allegedly made threatening remarks about the incident. During her courtroom appearance, Zwerner recalled the harrowing moment she thought she had died from her injuries.
The lawsuit further claimed that Parker was aware of the boy’s history of violence, including a prior incident where he harmed a kindergarten teacher. Concerns regarding his behavior, according to the suit, were continually disregarded, as his parents denied requests to place him in special education classes for children with similar behavioral challenges.
Parker resigned from her position following the incident, while the boy, not facing criminal charges due to his age, remains a focal point of ongoing discussions about school safety and child behavior management. Zwerner’s bravery in facing this tragic situation has spotlighted the urgent need for accountability and responsible action within school systems.
Meanwhile, the boy’s mother, Deja Taylor, was sentenced to nearly four years in prison after being convicted on felony child neglect and federal weapons charges. Prosecutors stated that the firearm used during the shooting was not safely secured, with Taylor asserting that it had been stored out of reach.
Parker is scheduled for a separate criminal trial in December on multiple counts of felony child neglect, having been found responsible for demonstrating “reckless disregard for the human life” of students. Each count carries the potential for significant prison time, underscoring the ongoing ramifications of this tragic event.