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Jury Awards $10 Million to Virginia Teacher Shot by 6-Year-Old, Finding Ex-Assistant Principal Grossly Negligent

Parker now faces a separate criminal trial this month on eight child-neglect counts.

Overview

  • Jurors found Ebony Parker liable for gross negligence in the 2023 Richneck Elementary shooting of first-grade teacher Abby Zwerner.
  • Trial testimony described multiple staff warnings that the boy might have a gun and said Parker did not permit a search before the shooting.
  • Interest on the $10 million award accrues from June 1, 2024, and the Newport News schools insurance authority is expected to pay.
  • Zwerner was shot through the hand and into her chest, required multiple surgeries, and still has a bullet fragment with lasting impairments.
  • Other school officials were dismissed before trial, and the student’s mother, Deja Taylor, previously received state and federal sentences related to the firearm.