During a trial on Tuesday, Virginia teacher Abby Zwirner testified about her repeated warnings to assistant principal Ebony Parker regarding a first-grade student who shot himself in a classroom in 2023.
Prosecutors claimed that despite several days of violent and aggressive incidents involving the 6-year-old boy, the administrator failed to search for him or take any action.
Parker faces eight counts of child neglect, one for each bullet the boy brought to school in his gun.
She is accused of overlooking numerous warning signs that the child, referred to as JT, might have had a gun and was displaying concerning behavior on January 6, 2023.
Zwirner recounted how just three days prior to the shooting, the boy had been defiant, telling her to do something and then violently throwing her cell phone to the ground.
“The student grabbed my cell phone and slammed it to the ground,” Zwirner said while testifying against Parker.
On the day of the incident, Zwirner described JT as appearing “on vacation” and being in a notably aggressive mood.
During lunchtime, she noticed JT looking at a school security guard threateningly while speaking to him.
“I saw the student looking down at her and very focused on her. He slowly got up from his seat and approached the guard without making eye contact, and that struck me,” Zwirner explained.
Another teacher informed Zwirner that the student had threatened to hit others, but the judge dismissed that information as hearsay.
Zwirner then communicated her concerns to Parker, stating he felt “sick” and was in a “violent mood.”
During a break, Zwirner remarked how JT kept his hands inside his jacket the entire time.
Upon returning to the classroom, Zwirner noticed JT staring at him, and he recalled, “I looked back and saw the gun aimed at me.”
“JT had a gun, and I got shot,” Zwirner recounted, describing how the bullet went through his left hand and chest.
Last year, a jury awarded Zwirner $10 million in a civil suit against Parker after hearing about the ongoing damage from the incident, including bullet fragments still in his body.
In his latest testimony, Zwirner detailed his thoughts during the shooting, reflecting on how he believed he might “die” and “go to heaven.”
Zwirner resigned from his teaching position at Rich Neck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia following the incident.
During the civil trial, Parker’s legal team contended that the blame should not solely fall on her, arguing that the staff’s response was also to blame.
When cross-examined, Zwirner acknowledged that he had suspected JT might have had a gun based on tips from a teacher.
When queried if he could have physically removed the boy, Zwirner replied, “In hindsight, I could have done that.”
Zwirner expressed trust in his colleagues to act accordingly after reporting his concerns to Parker.
When pressed further, Zwirner assured the prosecutors that he believed the issue was being communicated to the higher administration.
Parker has entered a not guilty plea.
Meanwhile, JT’s mother, Dejah Taylor, is currently serving just under four years for child abandonment and weapons charges after the boy took a 9mm handgun from her purse.
It’s worth noting that juveniles are not held criminally or civilly liable for such actions.
