Overview
- Zwerner told jurors she thought she was dying after being shot in the hand and chest on January 6, 2023, describing a memory of the child’s blank stare and continuing daily struggles.
- Medical witnesses said the wounds were life-threatening and that her hand will never be normal despite six surgeries, while a psychiatrist diagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder and significant social withdrawal.
- Defense attorneys sought to undercut damage claims by pointing to concerts she attended and her completion of cosmetology school, and they questioned whether she should have acted on information about a possible gun.
- The $40 million lawsuit alleges former assistant principal Ebony Parker failed to respond to warnings from staff that the 6-year-old may have brought a gun to Richneck Elementary before the shooting.
- Parker faces eight felony child-neglect counts in a separate criminal case set for next month, and legal experts note it is unusual for the civil trial to proceed first.