Virginia Jury Awards $10 Million to Teacher Shot by 6-Year-Old Student

Sat Dec 06 2025 22:31:42 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Abby Zwerner, a teacher shot by her student, wins $10 million in damages after a jury finds that an ex-administrator ignored warnings about the child's gun.

In a groundbreaking verdict, a Virginia jury has awarded Abby Zwerner, a former first-grade teacher, $10 million after she was shot by a 6-year-old student. The jury found that Ebony Parker, the ex-assistant principal, failed to act on multiple warnings that the child had a gun. Zwerner endured severe injuries during the incident and has since left her teaching career, pursuing cosmetology instead. Parker faces separate felony child neglect charges in a criminal trial later this month.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — A jury in Virginia on Thursday awarded $10 million to a former teacher who was shot by a 6-year-old student. The case centered around accusations against an ex-administrator, who allegedly ignored repeated warnings that the child had a firearm.

The jury reached its decision against Ebony Parker, the former assistant principal at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News. Abby Zwerner, the teacher who was shot, sought $40 million in damages, citing significant injuries from the incident.

On January 2023, Zwerner was shot while at a reading table in her classroom. After the shooting, she spent almost two weeks in the hospital, underwent six surgeries, and continues to have limited use of her left hand. A bullet lodged near her heart remains in her chest.

Parker was the sole defendant in the civil suit, as earlier attempts to hold the school district's superintendent and principal accountable were dismissed in court.

The shocking nature of the incident raised public outrage, with many questioning how a child so young could gain access to a loaded gun and use it in a school. Zwerner's legal team claimed Parker failed to take the necessary steps to secure safety after being informed that the student had a firearm in his backpack.

“Who would think a 6-year-old would bring a gun to school and shoot their teacher?” Zwerner’s attorney, Diane Toscano, told the jury. “It’s Dr. Parker’s job to believe that this was possible and to investigate it.”

Parker did not testify during the trial. Her attorney argued against the jurors falling prey to hindsight bias, stating, “You will be able to judge for yourselves whether or not this was foreseeable.”

The shooting occurred right after the student returned from a suspension related to another incident involving Zwerner's phone. Zwerner testified that she was made aware of the gun a few hours prior to the shooting by a reading specialist who had received tips from students.

Despite her injuries, Zwerner managed to lead her students to safety and eventually lost consciousness in the school office. She described the horrifying moment: “I thought I was either on my way to heaven or in heaven, but then it all got black.”

Following the incident, Zwerner left her teaching position and is now pursuing a career as a licensed cosmetologist. Meanwhile, Parker is set to face a separate criminal trial on eight counts of felony child neglect, with potential for substantial prison time if convicted.

Additionally, the mother of the child has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison for felony child neglect and charges related to her son gaining access to her handgun.