NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) — Trial dates have been set for the former Richneck Elementary School assistant principal charged with felony child abuse with disregard for life in connection to the shooting of a teacher at the school by a 6-year-old.
Ebony Parker, the former Richneck assistant principal who was indicted by a special grand jury on eight counts of felony child abuse — one count for each of the eight bullets that were in the gun used — was in court Monday and will face a jury trial in Newport News Circuit Court on the charges Feb. 19-20, 2025.
The special grand jury report said that Parker, “being responsible for the care of the student at the school, committed a willful act or omission in the care of said students in violation of Virginia Code: 18.2-371.1(B).”
It also noted that, “over the course of approximately two hours Dr. Parker acted in complete disregard for the safety of all the children in Ms. Zwerner’s class, all the children the child played with at recess, and all the children who could have been shot in the school. The [special grand jury] finds that Dr. Parker meets the threshold of probable cause to indict Dr. Parker for Child Neglect under Va. Code. 18.2-371.1(B).”
Attorneys for Abby Zwerner, the Richneck teacher who was shot by her 6-year-old student in January 2023, allege Parker was warned three times before the shooting that the student had a gun, but she failed to call 911 or put the school on lockdown. There was also no security guard on duty that day.
Abby Zwerner’s legal team released a statement in April in response to the special grand jury’s findings.
“The grand jury report reveals a systemic failure that led to the shooting of Abby Zwerner. Most shocking is the apparent cover up of disciplinary records before and after the shooting. We are grateful for the work of the special grand jury and the answers they have provided this community.”
– Attorneys Diane Toscano, Kevin Biniazan, and Jeffrey Breit
Around 2 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2023, while Zwerner was reading to the class, the 6-year-old student shot her. Zwerner was in the hospital for a couple of weeks before being released.
Zwerner has filed a $40 million civil lawsuit against Newport News Public Schools. A jury trial in Newport News Circuit Court in that case is scheduled to begin on Jan. 21, 2025.
Parker resigned as Richneck assistant principal 19 days after Zwerner was shot.
If found guilty, Parker could face up to 40 years in prison — five years for each count.