Former Virginia Assistant Principal Faces Criminal Trial for Ignoring Warnings Before First-Grader Shot Teacher

The criminal trial of Ebony Parker, the former assistant principal of Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, opened on Tuesday with prosecutors and defense attorneys offering starkly contrasting accounts of her actions leading up to a January 2023 classroom shooting. Parker faces eight felony counts of child abuse and disregard for life, an unprecedented prosecution testing the boundaries of administrative accountability in school shootings.

Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Josh Jenkins argued in his opening statement that Parker was the sole school official with both the explicit authority and immediate knowledge to handle the evolving crisis. Prosecutors allege that over the course of several hours, multiple teachers explicitly warned Parker that a six-year-old first-grader, identified in court as JT, likely had a firearm in his possession. Despite these urgent reports, Parker allegedly failed to take disciplinary action, ignored requests to search the child, and dismissed concerns by claiming the boy's pockets were too small to conceal a weapon.

Defense attorney Curtis Rogers pushed back against the state's narrative, contending that first-grade teacher Abby Zwerner, who was shot by the student, did not act as though there was an imminent or life-threatening emergency. Rogers argued that if Zwerner truly believed a loaded handgun was in the classroom, her immediate response should have been to separate the boy from his peers or evacuate the classroom, steps she did not take.

The defense also previously contended during a related civil trial that the violent outbreak was unforeseeable. However, prosecutors emphasize that Parker was fully aware of the child’s severe behavioral issues, which included an incident the previous school year where he allegedly choked a different kindergarten teacher.

Zwerner, who survived a gunshot wound to her chest and hand after navigating her students to safety, took the stand as the state’s primary witness. The bullet narrowly missed her heart, requiring six separate surgeries and leaving her without full use of her left hand. The criminal proceedings follow a civil trial in late 2025 where a jury awarded Zwerner 10 million dollars in damages after determining Parker was grossly negligent.

While the legal system has recently convicted parents in Michigan and Georgia for failing to secure weapons used in school shootings, Parker appears to be the first school administrator to face a criminal jury under these specific circumstances. Each of the eight counts against her—one for each bullet loaded in the weapon—carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

The student's mother, Deja Taylor, previously pleaded guilty to felony child neglect and related federal weapons charges after her son retrieved the unsecured firearm from her purse. She was sentenced to nearly four years in total and was recently released to community supervision. Local prosecutors have confirmed that the child will not face criminal charges due to his age and extreme emotional issues.

Explore NBCPalmSprings.com, where we are connecting the valley.