Ebony Parker, the former assistant principal of Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, stands trial on eight counts of felony child neglect for allegedly ignoring warnings about a six-year-old student who brought a gun to school and shot teacher Abby Zwerner. The shooting occurred on January 6, 2023, and Parker faces up to five years in prison for each count if convicted.
Key Takeaways
Ebony Parker, former assistant principal of Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, stands trial for eight counts of felony child neglect after allegedly ignoring warnings about a six-year-old student who brought a gun to school and shot teacher Abby Zwerner. The shooting occurred on January 6, 2023. Prosecutors allege Parker failed to act despite multiple warnings from staff members. If convicted, she faces up to five years in prison for each count.
- Ebony Parker is the only defendant in the trial after a judge dismissed other school officials as defendants.
- The student's mother, Deja Taylor, pleaded guilty to felony child neglect and federal weapons charges and was sentenced to nearly four years in prison.
- Abby Zwerner testified about the violent behavior of the student before the shooting and her injuries from the incident.
- Prosecutors claim Parker dismissed concerns about the gun and did not take any action despite having both authority and knowledge of the ongoing crisis.
- Defense argues that teachers should have taken action if they believed a gun was present.
Prosecutors allege that several school employees warned Parker that the student might have a gun, but she failed to take action before the shooting happened. According to The Guardian, criminal charges against school officials following a school shooting are quite rare. The incident sent shock waves through the community and the country at large.
Zwerner was shot as she sat at a reading table in her classroom. She spent nearly two weeks in the hospital, required six surgeries, and does not have full use of her left hand. A bullet narrowly missed her heart and remains lodged in her chest. Parker was the only defendant in the lawsuit, with a judge previously dismissing the district's superintendent and the school principal as defendants.
The trial began with opening statements where special prosecutor Josh Jenkins stated that despite repeated warnings from staff members about the child potentially having a gun, Parker did not order a search of the student or call the police. Defense attorney Curtis Rogers argued that teachers should have taken action if they believed a gun was present and questioned why Zwerner herself did not remove the child from the classroom.
Zwerner testified she first heard about the gun before class recess from a reading specialist who had been tipped off by students. She described the student's behavior as 'violent' on the day of the shooting, noting that he wore an oversized jacket with both hands in his pockets and stared intensely at her during lunch. Despite her injuries, Zwerner was able to hustle her students out of the classroom after being shot.
The student's mother, Deja Taylor, pleaded guilty to felony child neglect and federal weapons charges. She was sentenced to nearly four years in prison. The trial is expected to last three days, with Zwerner scheduled to testify against Parker.
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