January 1, School Admin On Trial After Unthinkable Classroom Shooting

Wyatt’s Take

• An assistant principal now faces trial after reportedly ignoring multiple warnings that a first-grader had brought a gun to school before the child shot his teacher
• Staff and students allegedly reported the threat three separate times that morning, but administrators took no action to search the student or remove him from class
• The wounded teacher survived but lives with permanent injuries while watching justice slowly unfold in the courtroom

A Virginia assistant principal is heading to trial this week on charges she ignored repeated warnings before a six-year-old student shot his teacher in January 2023.

Ebony Parker faces a felony charge of child neglect after prosecutors say she dismissed three separate reports that morning about the first-grader having a weapon at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News. The child later pulled out a 9mm handgun during class and shot teacher Abby Zwerner through the hand and chest.

Zwerner survived the attack but suffered serious injuries that required multiple surgeries. She’s filed a $40 million lawsuit against school administrators, saying they created a dangerous environment by refusing to act on clear warnings.

According to court documents, a teacher first reported seeing the boy with something that looked like a gun tucked in his waistband that morning. Another student told a different teacher the child showed him the weapon and threatened to shoot him if he told anyone.

A third teacher went directly to Parker’s office to report the gun after hearing from the frightened student. Parker allegedly told staff she would “handle it” but never searched the boy’s backpack or removed him from Zwerner’s classroom.

The shooting happened around 2 p.m. that day, hours after the first warning. The bullet went through Zwerner’s hand as she raised it defensively, then struck her in the upper chest.

School surveillance footage and witness testimony will likely play a major role in the trial. Prosecutors must prove Parker’s negligence rose to the level of criminal child endangerment.

The child’s mother purchased the gun legally but allegedly left it unsecured in the home. She pleaded guilty to federal charges of child neglect and using marijuana while owning a firearm.

Parker’s defense team argues she followed established protocols and couldn’t have predicted a first-grader would actually use a weapon. But three separate warnings in one morning paint a troubling picture of administrative indifference.

Zwerner’s attorneys point to a pattern of discipline problems with this particular student that school leaders failed to address. The boy had already been suspended once that school year for breaking another student’s phone.

“This was entirely preventable,” Zwerner’s lawyer told reporters outside the courthouse.

The teacher spent two weeks in the hospital and underwent multiple surgeries on her hand. She still deals with pain and limited mobility more than two years later.

Newport News school administrators placed Parker on paid leave immediately after the shooting. She remains on administrative leave pending the outcome of the criminal case.

The trial is expected to last several days, with testimony from teachers who reported the gun that morning, students who witnessed the shooting, and law enforcement who responded to the scene.

Wyatt Matters

When parents send their kids to school, they expect adults in charge to act when danger threatens. Three warnings in one morning should trigger immediate action—not bureaucratic hand-wringing. Teachers work hard enough without wondering if administrators have their backs when real threats emerge. Common sense says you search the backpack and ask questions later when someone reports a six-year-old packing heat. That’s not complicated policy—that’s basic responsibility to the kids and staff counting on you.