Former Assistant Principal Goes on Trial Over 2023 School Shooting

A former assistant principal at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, is scheduled to stand trial Monday on eight counts of felony child abuse tied to a 2023 shooting in which a 6-year-old student shot his first-grade teacher. Ebony Parker faces charges that allege she committed a willful act or omission in the care of students in a manner so gross, wanton and culpable as to show a reckless disregard for human life.

Each count carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Prosecutors say the charges correspond to the eight bullets in the gun the student used.

The shooting occurred on January 6, 2023, when the boy took an unsecured gun from his mother’s purse and brought it to school in his backpack. Abby Zwerner was sitting at a reading table in her classroom when the student shot her in the chest and hand.

She survived after spending nearly two weeks in the hospital and undergoing six surgeries. Zwerner has said she heard reports about the gun hours before the shooting from a reading specialist who had been tipped off by students. She testified that she cannot shake the boy’s “blank look” as he aimed at her and that she thought she was going to die.

A psychiatrist testified that Zwerner suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.

November 2025, a civil jury awarded Zwerner $10 million in damages after finding that Parker failed to act on repeated warnings that the student had a gun. Parker has appealed the verdict. The criminal trial is expected to last about three days. Zwerner is scheduled to testify in the criminal case. Parker has pleaded not guilty. An attorney for Parker did not respond to a request for comment.

The boy’s mother, Deja Taylor, pleaded guilty to felony child neglect and was sentenced to two years in state prison plus a 21-month federal sentence. She was released from state custody to community supervision on May 13. Prosecutors have said the boy, who has extreme emotional issues, will not face criminal charges.

Parker resigned two weeks after the shooting. The principal was reassigned and the school board voted out the superintendent.

“A gun changes everything. You stop and you investigate. " — Kevin Biniazan, Zwerner’s attorney, during civil trial Parker’s defense has argued the shooting was not foreseeable and called an expert witness who testified that Parker did not breach professional standards. The expert said school safety is a shared responsibility among all staff.”