A former elementary school teacher from Virginia has been awarded Ksh1.2 billion in damages after being shot by a 6-year-old student in her classroom. The ruling came nearly two years after the shocking incident that drew global attention to gun safety and accountability in schools.
The teacher, Abigail Zwerner, suffered life-threatening injuries when a young pupil fired a single shot that went through her hand and into her chest while she was teaching her first-grade class at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News. She underwent multiple surgeries and later recounted in court that at the moment of the shooting, she believed she had died.
Zwerner filed a lawsuit seeking Ksh5.1 billion in compensation, accusing the school’s former assistant principal, Ebony Parker, of gross negligence. The lawsuit claimed that Parker had been warned on several occasions about the student’s troubling behavior and the possibility that he had brought a firearm to school. Despite the warnings, Parker allegedly took no action to prevent the tragedy.
According to court documents, staff members had informed Parker about the student’s violent mood and previous threats toward other children. Roughly 45 minutes before the shooting, concerns were raised that the child might be armed, yet no steps were taken to search the student or alert security.
A jury of three men and four women found Parker’s failure to act amounted to reckless disregard for human life. Zwerner’s attorneys argued that her injuries, both physical and emotional, were the direct result of the administration’s lack of urgency and care for the safety of students and staff.
Following the civil trial, a criminal case is expected to proceed. Parker faces eight counts of felony child neglect, which carry a possible sentence of up to five years in prison per count.
The child’s mother has already been sentenced to nearly four years in prison for child neglect and federal weapons charges. The young boy, who was not charged due to his age, is currently under the care of a relative and enrolled at a different school.
The case has reignited debate over gun safety, school administration accountability, and how young children access firearms in the United States.
