A judge in the US state of Virginia has dismissed all charges against former assistant principal Ebony Parker, who was accused after a six-year-old student shot his teacher during class.
Parker had been facing several felony child abuse charges for allegedly failing to act on warnings that the first-grade student had brought a gun to school. Her defence argued that prosecutors had not proven the case, and Circuit Court Judge Rebecca Robinson agreed, dismissing all eight counts, including charges related to endangering life.
Parker became emotional in court and broke down in tears as the ruling was delivered. The judge described the incident as deeply tragic, saying, “What happened that day was awful.”
The shooting occurred in January 2023 at an elementary school in Newport News, Virginia, when the child fired a single shot at teacher Abigail Zwerner, who survived but required surgery after being hit in the hand and chest.
Zwerner later sued Parker and was awarded $10 million in damages.
In a section of the lawsuit, lawyers for teacher Abigail Zwerner said she had warned assistant principal Ebony Parker that the student was in a “violent mood” and had threatened another child. They alleged Parker gave no response and “would not even look up” when the concerns were raised.
Parker is also accused of ignoring repeated staff warnings that the child might have brought a gun to school, as well as refusing a request to search his bag.
Her defence maintained she could not have predicted the shooting and claimed Zwerner had exaggerated her injuries. Despite this, a jury concluded that Parker’s failure to act amounted to gross negligence.
The child’s mother, Deja Nicole Taylor, was also charged with felony child neglect after the child brought her gun to school. She later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years in prison on state charges, along with 21 months on federal charges related to making false statements about drug use on a firearm purchase form.
Following the shooting, investigators also found around 1 ounce (28g) of cannabis in her home, which further contributed to the legal consequences in the case.
The child, who was not charged with any offence, reportedly told police he reached the firearm by climbing on a drawer to access his mother’s handbag, which was kept on top of a dresser and contained the handgun.
He is now reportedly living with a relative and enrolled in another school.