A former assistant principal at a Virginia elementary school is set to stand trial on Monday for allegedly ignoring warnings that a six-year-old student had brought a loaded gun to school, which was later used to shoot his first-grade teacher.
Ebony Parker faces eight counts of felony child neglect, one for each bullet in the firearm brought into Abby Zwerner's classroom at Richneck Elementary School in January 2023. Each count carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison upon conviction.
Prosecutors allege Parker committed a willful act or omission in the care of students, showing reckless disregard for human life. Criminal charges against school officials following a school shooting are rare, experts note. The incident shocked the military shipbuilding community and the nation, raising questions about how a young child accessed a gun.
In November, a jury awarded $10 million to Zwerner, who sued Parker for ignoring repeated warnings about the gun. Zwerner was shot while sitting at a reading table, spent nearly two weeks in hospital, required six surgeries, and still lacks full use of her left hand. A bullet narrowly missed her heart and remains lodged in her chest.
Zwerner is scheduled to testify in the criminal case. The student's mother was sentenced to nearly four years in prison after pleading guilty to felony child neglect and federal weapons charges. Her son told authorities he retrieved the gun from her purse.
