Newport News, Va. — A Virginia jury has awarded $10 million to former elementary school teacher Abby Zwerner, who was shot by her 6-year-old student in 2023. The landmark verdict may reshape how schools and administrators are held accountable for campus safety in cases involving young children and firearms.
After more than five hours of deliberation, jurors found that Ebony Parker, former assistant principal at Richneck Elementary School, failed in her duty to protect students and staff when she allegedly ignored multiple warnings that the boy may have brought a gun to school.
A Tragic Day That Shocked the Nation
The shooting occurred in January 2023, when Zwerner, then 25, was teaching her first-grade class. The student, armed with his mother’s handgun, shot her in the chest and hand as she sat at a reading table. Despite severe injuries, Zwerner managed to escort her students to safety before collapsing in the hallway.
Her case became one of the most shocking examples of gun violence in an American classroom, drawing national attention to school safety protocols and child access to firearms.
The Lawsuit and Its Arguments
Zwerner’s legal team argued that Parker and school officials had been alerted multiple times that morning that the student may have had a gun. Yet, no one conducted a search or removed the child from class.
“Dr. Parker’s job is safety,” attorney Kevin Biniazan said during closing arguments. “A gun changes everything. You stop and investigate. You get to the bottom of it — the backpack, the pockets, whatever it takes.”
The defense countered that the shooting was “unforeseeable” and that no reasonable administrator could have predicted such an event involving a 6-year-old. Defense attorney Sandra Douglas told jurors, “It was a tragedy that was unthinkable. Don’t compound it by blaming Dr. Parker.”
Expert witness Dr. Amy Klinger, a school safety specialist, testified that ensuring security is a shared responsibility across all staff, not just one administrator.
A Potential Legal Precedent
Legal analysts say the case could set an important precedent for determining administrative liability in future school shootings. “This verdict expands the scope of responsibility,” said Darryl K. Brown, a law professor at the University of Virginia. “It signals that courts may be willing to hold individual school officials accountable when credible threats are ignored.”
Parker, who resigned shortly after the incident, still faces eight felony counts of child neglect in an upcoming criminal trial scheduled for next month.
Zwerner’s Testimony: “I Thought I Had Died”
During her emotional testimony, Zwerner described the physical pain and psychological trauma she continues to endure nearly three years after the shooting.
“I thought I was dying. I thought I had died,” she told the court. “I thought I was on my way to heaven or already there.”
She said her injuries have left her with lasting pain and limited mobility in her hand, making even simple tasks like opening a bottle of water difficult. “I’ve become withdrawn,” she added. “I struggle to be around people.”
The defense attempted to question her credibility by noting that she completed cosmetology school and attended public events after the shooting. “I’m not minimizing what happened,” Douglas said. “But the whole story has to be told.”
Broader Implications
As of early November, the U.S. has recorded 64 school shootings in 2025, 27 of them on K–12 campuses. The Zwerner verdict comes amid growing public frustration with the lack of preventive measures in schools.
Gun safety advocates praised the outcome, calling it a wake-up call for school systems nationwide. “This verdict says what educators have long known: safety is not optional,” said one statement from Everytown for Gun Safety.
For Zwerner, the verdict represents validation after a two-year struggle. “I just want schools to be safe for teachers and students,” she said after the ruling. “No one should have to experience what I did.”
