A Virginia jury has awarded former elementary school teacher Abby Zwerner $10 million in a civil lawsuit against her assistant principal, following a 2023 shooting in which Zwerner was critically wounded by a six-year-old student. The verdict holds former assistant principal Ebony Parker liable for failing to act on multiple warnings that the child had a firearm on school grounds.
The incident occurred on January 6, 2023, when Zwerner, a first-grade teacher at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, was shot in the chest by a six-year-old boy during class. She survived the shooting but still carries a bullet fragment lodged in her body. Zwerner and Parker both resigned after the incident.
According to court filings, several teachers had alerted Parker that the child might be armed. Despite repeated warnings throughout the day, Parker allegedly dismissed the concerns and did not allow staff to search the child, a decision that proved catastrophic. Zwerner’s legal team argued that the attack was preventable and that Parker’s inaction constituted gross negligence.
Zwerner had originally sought $40 million in damages. The jury’s $10 million award, with interest dating back to June 1, 2024, sends a strong message about school accountability and the importance of responding seriously to potential threats—no matter the age of the student involved.
The child’s mother was previously convicted for making false statements during the purchase of the firearm used in the shooting. That conviction highlighted additional failures in gun ownership responsibility and storage.
One of Zwerner’s attorneys told reporters after the verdict that the decision affirms what many believed from the start: “This could have been prevented.” The case has reignited debates on school safety, administrative oversight, and how early intervention could stop tragedies before they unfold.
