In a highly emotional courtroom scene, Abigail Zwerner, a former Virginia schoolteacher, testified in a $40 million civil lawsuit against Ebony Parker, the former assistant principal of Richneck Elementary School. Zwerner was shot by a 6-year-old student in January 2023 while teaching her first-grade class in Newport News, Virginia. The bullet passed through her hand and into her chest, leaving her with severe injuries that required multiple surgeries. Zwerner recounted the harrowing experience, stating, ‘I thought I was dying, I thought I had died. I thought I was on my way to heaven or in heaven, but then it all got black.’
Zwerner’s lawsuit alleges that Parker failed to act despite being warned about the child potentially bringing a gun to school. According to the lawsuit, Parker was informed of the gun approximately 45 minutes before the shooting but took no action. Zwerner’s testimony highlighted the lasting physical and emotional trauma she has endured, including difficulties with simple tasks like opening a bag of potato crisps or a water bottle. She described a sense of emotional detachment, stating, ‘I still feel connected and close, but it’s also that feeling of distance, a little numbness.’
Parker’s defense attorney, Daniel Hogan, argued that the case is one of ‘hindsight bias,’ emphasizing that no one could have reasonably foreseen a 6-year-old bringing a firearm to school. Hogan posed challenging questions to the jury, including whether Parker was indifferent or failed to exercise care, and whether Zwerner took steps for her own safety. The civil trial precedes a criminal case in which Parker faces eight counts of felony child neglect, each punishable by up to five years in prison. The student’s mother has already been sentenced to nearly four years for child neglect and federal weapons charges. The student, who was not charged, is reportedly under the care of a relative and attending a different school.
The case has reignited discussions about gun violence in the United States, particularly in educational settings, and raises critical questions about school safety and administrative accountability.