A Virginia jury has delivered a $10 million verdict in favor of a former elementary school teacher who was shot by her 6-year-old student, finding that a school administrator failed to act on multiple warnings about the armed child.
The Shooting That Shocked a Community
The incident occurred in January 2023 at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, when first-grade teacher Abby Zwerner was shot while sitting at a reading table with students. The bullet narrowly missed her heart and remains lodged in her chest to this day.
Zwerner suffered devastating injuries that required six surgeries and nearly two weeks of hospitalization. She continues to experience limited use of her left hand as a result of the shooting.
Warnings Ignored Before Tragedy
According to court testimony, several school staff members had warned former assistant principal Ebony Parker about the student possessing a firearm in his backpack hours before the shooting occurred. A reading specialist had specifically alerted Parker after being tipped off by students before class recess.
Despite these multiple warnings, Parker failed to investigate or take appropriate action to secure the weapon or protect staff and students, according to the lawsuit's claims.
Legal Consequences and Broader Implications
The jury returned its decision against Parker alone, as a judge had previously dismissed the school district's superintendent and principal as defendants in the case. Zwerner had originally sought $40 million in damages.
One of Zwerner's attorneys, Diane Toscano, stated that the verdict sends a clear message about school safety priorities. "Safety has to be the first concern at school," Toscano told reporters outside the courthouse.
The shooting sent shock waves through the Newport News community and nationwide, raising questions about how such a young child could access a firearm and bring it to school.
Parker now faces separate criminal charges including eight counts of felony child neglect, each carrying potential five-year prison sentences if convicted. Her trial is scheduled for later this month.
Meanwhile, the student's mother received nearly four years in prison for felony child neglect and federal weapons charges. Authorities determined the child accessed the handgun by climbing onto a dresser to reach his mother's purse where she stored the firearm.
Zwerner no longer works for the school district and has become a licensed cosmetologist, stating she has no plans to return to teaching after the traumatic experience.
