A Virginia judge has dismissed all charges against Ebony Parker, the former assistant principal of Richneck Elementary School, who was accused of failing to act on warnings that a six-year-old student had brought a gun to school. The shooting in January 2023 left teacher Abby Zwerner seriously wounded.
Newport News Circuit Court Judge Rebecca Robinson ruled on Thursday that Parker's actions did not constitute a crime under Virginia law, ending the case abruptly after prosecutors had rested their case the previous day. Parker faced eight counts of child neglect and reckless conduct.
Prosecutors argued that Parker ignored multiple warnings from school staff that the student had a gun in his backpack, telling them that the child's mother would soon pick him up. However, Judge Robinson determined that the evidence did not meet the legal threshold for criminal liability.
Outside court, Parker's mother expressed relief, stating, 'It's been a long, long haul, for not a good reason.' She described her daughter as 'a really great educator' who advocates for children. Parker's attorney, Curtis Rogers, acknowledged that his client may have made a mistake but maintained she committed no crime.
The shooting occurred when the six-year-old boy removed a 9mm handgun from his hoodie pocket and fired a single shot at Zwerner during a reading class, hitting her in the hand and chest. Zwerner underwent five hand surgeries and still has a bullet lodged in her chest. In a separate civil case, she was awarded $10 million in damages.
The student's mother, Deja Taylor, was sentenced to two years in prison for felony child neglect in 2023. Parker's defence had argued that Zwerner herself witnessed the child's behaviour before the shooting and failed to intervene.
