Assistant principal charged with felony child abuse in 6-year-old's shooting of teacher

The assistant principal of the Virginia school where a 6-year-old boy shot his first grade teacher has been charged with eight counts of felony child abuse and disregard for life, according to an indictment unsealed on Tuesday.

Ebony Parker, who worked for Richneck Elementary School on Jan. 6, 2023, when Abigail Zwerner was shot by her student, was indicted on March 11. But the charges were not unsealed until Tuesday, according to the Virginia courts website. Parker is not yet in custody.

Parker committed "a willful act or omission in the care of such students” that was “so gross, wanton, and culpable as to show a reckless disregard for human life," and should be held on $4,000 bond, according to a copy of the indictment obtained by the Virginian-Pilot.

The charges, all class 6 felonies, each carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

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Teacher's lawsuit claims Parker ignored warnings ahead of shooting

Zwerner filed a lawsuit in April of 2023 seeking $40 million in damages from school officials. In the lawsuit, Zwerner claimed Parker received multiple warnings of the boy's violent behavior, but failed to take action to prevent the shooting.

In a notice of claim sent to the Newport News School District by her attorney, Zwerner alleged she visited Parker's office hours before the shooting to report that the boy "seemed more ‘off’ than usual and was in a violent mood." She reported that he had already threatened to beat up another child and "angrily stared down a security officer."

“Assistant Principal Parker should have called police, instead she did not follow proper protocol and chose to do absolutely nothing,” the claim says.

Less than an hour later, another teacher told Parker that other students reported that the boy had a gun in his backpack, the claim alleges. Another teacher informed Parker of reports that the boy had the gun in his pocket, according to the claim.

"Assistant Principal Parker was made aware at the beginning of recess that Ms. Zwerner was afraid that the shooter had a gun in his pocket," Zwerner's attorney wrote. "And again nothing was done."

Zwerner was shot in the hands and chest, and was hospitalized for almost two weeks after the shooting. She resigned from her position at the school in June of 2023.

Parker resigned from her position after the shooting. John Mumford Jr., an attorney listed for her, did not immediately return a request for comment.

Cybele Mayes-Osterman is a breaking news reporter for USA Today. Reach her on email at cmayesosterman@usatoday.com. Follow her on X @CybeleMO.