Judge Dismisses Charges Against Former Assistant Principal in Virginia School Shooting Case
A Virginia judge has dismissed all charges against former assistant principal Ebony Parker, who was accused of ignoring warnings about a 6-year-old student bringing a gun to school before shooting his teacher in 2023.
A Virginia judge has dismissed all charges against former assistant principal Ebony Parker, who was accused of ignoring warnings that a 6-year-old student had a gun before he shot his teacher in 2023. Circuit Judge Rebecca Robinson ruled that Parker's actions did not constitute a crime, leading to the dismissal of all eight felony counts of child neglect.
The charges stemmed from the January 2023 incident at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, where first-grade teacher Abby Zwerner was shot and wounded by a student. Prosecutors alleged that Parker failed to act on multiple warnings from staff members about the child's possession of a firearm.
Defense attorneys argued that Parker did not believe the child had a gun and was limited in her ability to investigate due to standardized testing. They contended that her actions did not amount to reckless disregard for life.
In a separate civil trial, a jury awarded Zwerner $10 million, finding that Parker's inaction constituted gross negligence.
The student's mother, Deja Nicole Taylor, was previously sentenced to nearly four years in prison on charges of felony child neglect and federal weapons violations after her son used her firearm in the shooting.