A Virginia judge has thrown out a case against an elementary school assistant principal who was accused of failing to act on warnings that a six-year-old student had brought a gun to school, leading to the wounding of his teacher in 2023.
The eight-count indictment against Richneck Elementary assistant principal Ebony Parker was dismissed abruptly on Thursday on legal principles, just one day after prosecutors rested their case. Newport News Circuit Court Judge Rebecca Robinson said Parker's actions did not amount to a crime under Virginia law.
Parker had been accused of ignoring multiple warnings that the student had a gun, which was later used to shoot first-grade teacher Abby Zwerner in her classroom. Several school employees told Parker they believed the child had a gun in his backpack, only to be told by Parker that the child's mother would be arriving soon to pick him up, prosecutors said.
However, on Thursday, Judge Robinson dismissed the case, ending efforts to hold Parker criminally accountable. Concerns had earlier been raised after a juror asked for clarification about testimony and referred to the jury collectively as "we," indicating possible premature discussion. Judge Robinson said she made her decision after listening to the evidence over the past several days.
Outside court, Parker's mother told the Daily Press that the decision was "by the grace of God." She noted that her daughter was "a really great educator. A great teacher. A great person to advocate for the kids. That's what breaks my heart, because these kids need every help they can get." Curtis Rogers, an attorney for Parker, said that while his client may have "made a mistake" and had a "lapse in judgment," she did not commit a crime.
In November last year, Zwerner was awarded $10 million in damages after a jury concluded that Parker had ignored warnings that a 9mm gun was on school property and probably in the possession of the boy who shot her. The boy removed the gun in his classroom and fired a single bullet at Zwerner, hitting her hand and chest. Zwerner subsequently had five hand surgeries and still has a bullet lodged in her chest.
At that trial, jurors heard that three first-grade students reported the boy had a weapon. In 2023, Deja Taylor, the student's mother, was sentenced to two years in prison for felony child neglect. The dismissal of the case against Parker came after her attorneys placed blame on Zwerner, who they claimed had witnessed the child's movements long before the shooting and failed to act. In court, Zwerner said the six-year-old had slammed her phone to the ground days earlier and was in a "violent" mood on the day of the shooting.
