Trial Begins for Former Virginia Assistant Principal Accused of Neglecting Warnings Prior to 6-Year-Old’s Shooting of Teacher

A former assistant principal in Virginia is currently on trial, facing felony charges of child neglect. The charges stem from accusations that she ignored warnings about a 6-year-old student carrying a loaded gun, which led to the student shooting a teacher in 2023.

Jury selection commenced on Monday in Newport News for the trial of Ebony Parker, who previously served as the assistant principal at Richneck Elementary School. Parker, maintaining her innocence, is charged with eight felony counts of child neglect in connection to the shooting incident involving first-grade teacher Abby Zwerner, as reported by The Associated Press.

According to prosecutors, multiple school staff members alerted Parker to the possibility that the young student had a gun, but she allegedly did not act on these warnings before the shooting occurred.

Parker’s defense contends that she is being scapegoated for larger systemic issues that contributed to the unfortunate event.

In the courtroom, former assistant principal Ebony Parker appeared during the proceedings of Abby Zwerner’s lawsuit in Newport News, Virginia, on October 28, 2025. (Photo by Stephen M. Katz/The Virginian-Pilot)

Prosecutors brought one count for each of the eight bullets loaded in the gun. If convicted, Parker could face up to five years in prison for each count, AP reported.

The shooting happened on Jan. 6, 2023, when authorities said the 6-year-old student shot Zwerner while she was teaching. 

She was hospitalized for nearly two weeks and underwent six surgeries after the bullet narrowly missed her heart. She still has limited use of her left hand, according to the AP.

Former Richneck Elementary School teacher Abby Zwerner looks back in the courtroom during her civil lawsuit trial in Newport News, Virginia, on Oct. 28, 2025. (Stephen M. Katz/The Virginian-Pilot)

In November 2025, a jury awarded Zwerner $10 million in a civil lawsuit against Parker, alleging the former administrator dismissed concerns that the student may have brought a gun to school.

In a statement to Fox News Digital at the time, Zwerner’s legal team said the verdict marked a “major step forward in Abby’s long road of healing.”

During the earlier civil trial, Parker’s attorneys argued the shooting was “unforeseeable” and maintained she did not have a legal responsibility to protect Zwerner from the attack.

Students return to Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, on Jan. 30, 2023.  (Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot)

Zwerner is expected to testify in the criminal trial, AP reported.

Authorities said the child got the gun from his mother’s purse after climbing onto a dresser. The student’s mother was previously sentenced to nearly four years in prison.