Summary
A jury awarded a former Virginia teacher named Abigail Zwerner $10 million in damages after she was shot by a six-year-old student in 2023. The lawsuit claimed that the former assistant principal, Ebony Parker, was negligent because she did not act on warnings that the child might have brought a gun to school.
Key Facts
- Abigail Zwerner was a first-grade teacher at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia.
- In January 2023, a six-year-old student shot her during class.
- Zwerner was seriously injured, requiring multiple surgeries.
- Zwerner sued Ebony Parker, the former assistant principal, for $40 million, claiming negligence.
- A jury awarded Zwerner $10 million, finding Parker's inaction to be gross negligence.
- Parker was warned about the child having a gun 45 minutes before the incident.
- A criminal case against Parker will follow; she faces eight counts of felony child neglect.
- The student's mother received a nearly four-year prison sentence for child neglect and weapons charges.
