Ebony Parker, a former assistant principal at a Virginia elementary school where a 6-year-old student shot his teacher in 2023, has been indicted on child abuse charges. The court records show that Parker is facing eight counts related to the day of the shooting, each carrying a maximum sentence of five years in prison. A warrant has been issued for her arrest. The charges were filed in Newport News Circuit Court and were unsealed a month after a grand jury filed the charges. Details on the charges were not immediately available, and the Newport News Commonwealth Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for a comment.
The shooting of first-grade teacher Abigail Zwerner on January 6, 2023, at Richneck Elementary School raised concerns about potential security failures in the school and district. Zwerner was intentionally shot by one of her students but managed to escort her panicked class to safety. The bullet injured Zwerner’s left hand and chest, requiring medical treatment. Three months after the shooting, she filed a $40 million lawsuit against the school district, alleging that administrators failed to act on warnings that the child had a handgun. Ebony Parker resigned in response to the lawsuit, and lawyers for Zwerner welcomed the additional charges against Parker, calling them “very serious.”
The boy’s mother, Deja Taylor, was sentenced to two years in prison in December on a state charge of felony child neglect. She will begin serving her sentence after completing her 21-month sentence on a federal charge related to marijuana use while owning a gun. James Ellenson, Taylor’s lawyer, expressed concern that Parker was facing charges while his client was taking most of the responsibility for the incident. The local prosecutor had announced that no charges would be filed against the student due to his young age. Seven lawsuits were filed on behalf of parents and guardians against the school leadership, alleging negligence in handling the incident.
Lawyer James Ellenson believed that the charges against a former school official in a school gun violence incident represented a new area of prosecution. He expressed that it was groundbreaking to hold school officials accountable in such cases and expressed his concerns about his client bearing the brunt of the responsibility. The families of the students of Richneck Elementary voiced their dissatisfaction with the lack of attention to the students’ suffering following the shooting. The lawsuits filed against school leadership highlight the ongoing legal battle and the attempt to hold responsible parties accountable for their actions.
The attorneys representing Abigail Zwerner acknowledged the gravity of the charges against Ebony Parker and pointed towards the failure of the school district to prevent the tragic shooting. The indictment was seen as another step in addressing the negligence and failures that led to the incident. The case highlighted the importance of school safety and the need for accountability in ensuring the well-being of students and staff. The legal proceedings following the shooting shed light on the complexities of addressing school gun violence and the challenges in seeking justice for the victims and their families. The impact of the incident reverberated throughout the community, raising questions about security measures and responsibilities in schools.
