Former Virginia School Official Faces Criminal Neglect Charges After Six-Year-Old Shoots Teacher
WASHINGTON — In a shocking turn of events, a former assistant principal in Virginia, Ebony Parker, is now facing criminal neglect charges following an incident where a six-year-old student shot a teacher last year.
A special grand jury determined that Parker put students at risk by disregarding warnings about the child possessing a gun, resulting in eight counts that could each lead to a five-year prison sentence.
The victim, teacher Abigail Zwerner, sustained serious injuries from the shooting and underwent multiple surgeries.
Zwerner filed a $40 million lawsuit against Parker, alleging that the former assistant principal ignored multiple alerts about the child bringing a gun to school on the day of the tragic incident in January 2023 in Newport News.
According to the lawsuit, Zwerner informed Parker about the child’s violent behavior and threats against another student, but Parker reportedly showed no reaction and failed to address the concerns raised.
Furthermore, Parker is accused of dismissing warnings from other staff members about the child potentially having a gun and rejecting a request to search the child’s bag.
About 45 minutes later, the child fired a single shot at Zwerner during her first-grade class, causing injuries to her hand and chest.
The indictment, filed recently, accuses Parker of displaying a reckless disregard for human life through her actions or lack thereof in caring for students at Richneck Elementary School.
Zwerner’s attorneys expressed the seriousness of the charges, emphasizing the school district’s failure to prevent the tragic shooting.
Although an arrest warrant has been issued for Parker, she has not been taken into custody as of now.
Meanwhile, the child’s mother, Deja Nicole Taylor, faced charges of felony child neglect a year ago after her son brought her gun to school. Taylor pleaded guilty and received a two-year sentence on state charges and 21 months on federal gun charges for providing false information about drug use to obtain the weapon.
Reportedly, the child is now under the care of a relative and attending a different school. — BBC
