NEWPORT NEWS, VA.—A Virginia jury delivered a powerful message about administrative accountability on Thursday, awarding $10 million in damages to former first-grade teacher Abby Zwerner, who was shot and severely wounded by her six-year-old student in a 2023 classroom attack.
The verdict, which concluded a negligence lawsuit brought by Zwerner, explicitly found that a former school administrator acted with gross negligence by ignoring multiple, explicit warnings that the boy had a gun hours before the shooting occurred.
The Unheeded Warnings
The lawsuit targeted Ebony Parker, the former assistant principal at Richneck Elementary School, and centered on the chaotic hours leading up to the shocking shooting in January 2023.
Zwerner’s legal team presented compelling testimony asserting that Parker was the sole administrator who possessed all the pieces of a “screaming” puzzle warning of imminent danger:
- Multiple Alerts: Three separate first-grade students and several staff members reported to administrators that the six-year-old boy was in possession of a firearm—with some specifying it was in his backpack or hoodie pocket.
- Refusal to Search: Testimony revealed that a guidance counselor sought permission from Parker to search the student, but Parker allegedly refused, stating that the boy’s mother would soon arrive to pick him up.
- The Outcome: Approximately an hour later, the student pulled a 9mm handgun from his pocket and shot Zwerner as she sat at a reading table in her classroom.
“The road signs were screaming at her, flashing at her, telling her what was going to happen if she did not act,” said Kevin Biniazan, one of Zwerner’s attorneys, during closing arguments.
Life-Altering Injuries and Continuing Trauma
Despite being struck in the hand and chest by a single bullet, Zwerner managed to evacuate her students from the classroom before collapsing in the school office. Her testimony during the six-day trial was deeply emotional:
- Physical Damage: Zwerner, who has since left teaching, underwent six surgeries. The bullet narrowly missed her heart and remains permanently lodged in her chest, and she retains only partial use of her left hand.
- Mental Health Impact: A forensic psychiatrist testified that Zwerner suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and continues to endure extreme anxiety and social isolation. Zwerner herself testified she believed she “had died” in the immediate aftermath of the shooting.
Attorneys for the former assistant principal, who did not testify, argued that the shooting was an “unforeseeable” and “unprecedented” event that should not be judged by the clarity of hindsight. The jury, however, sided with Zwerner’s claim that the administrator’s failure to act constituted gross negligence.
Accountability and Future Precedent
The $10 million award, though less than the $40 million sought by Zwerner, is a landmark verdict that sends a clear signal to school districts nationwide regarding the level of administrative responsibility in preventing school violence.
The civil verdict comes as the legal fallout from the January 2023 shooting continues. The boy’s mother, Deja Taylor, was previously sentenced to nearly four years in prison on federal weapons charges and felony child neglect. Furthermore, Parker faces a separate criminal trial next month on eight counts of felony child neglect related to her actions—or lack thereof—on the day of the shooting.
While the verdict is likely to face post-trial motions and appeals, Zwerner’s legal team said the outcome affirms that “safety has to be the first concern at school.”