Trial Begins for Former Virginia Assistant Principal in 2023 School Shooting Case

A criminal trial opened Monday for Ebony Parker, the former assistant principal at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia. Prosecutors accuse her of ignoring repeated warnings that a 6-year-old student had brought a loaded gun to school.

Parker faces eight counts of felony child neglect, one for each bullet in the gun. Each count carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. The charges allege she committed a willful act or omission showing reckless disregard for human life.

The shooting occurred on January 6, 2023, inside Abigail Zwerner’s first-grade classroom. The student shot Zwerner in the hand and chest. She spent nearly two weeks in the hospital, required six surgeries, and no longer has full use of her left hand.

Staff members and other students had reported that the boy had a gun in his backpack. Zwerner’s attorneys said another student saw the gun on the playground and told a teacher, who asked Parker to search the child. Parker declined the request.

November a jury awarded Zwerner $10 million in a civil lawsuit against Parker. The verdict found Parker liable for ignoring warning signs. Parker resigned from the school after the incident. The student’s mother, Deja Taylor, was sentenced to nearly four years in prison on state and federal charges. She pleaded guilty to felony child neglect and to using marijuana while owning a gun.

Zwerner is scheduled to testify in the criminal case. The trial is expected to last three days. Parker’s attorney has argued that she did not have a legal duty to protect Zwerner. An acquittal could affect whether the Virginia Risk Sharing Association must pay the $10 million civil award.

A conviction could expose Parker to up to 40 years in prison.

“Parker allegedly ignored warnings that the child had a gun.”