Virginia Teacher Awarded Damages After Being Shot by Student

A Virginia teacher, Abigail Zwirner, who was shot by a six-year-old student in January 2023, has successfully won a lawsuit against her former school officials. The suit claims that the former assistant principal did not act on several warning signs prior to the shooting.

Zwirner was shot twice—once in the hand and once in the chest—while teaching in her first-grade classroom at Rich Neck Elementary School in Newport News. She ended up hospitalized for two weeks following the incident, and the boy’s mother later faced convictions regarding firearm charges.

“Guns change everything,” she reflected. “You need to stop and investigate to determine if a gun is present and whether it’s real.” Unfortunately, that’s not what happened.

In her civil lawsuit, Zwirner accused Ebony Parker, the former assistant principal, of disregarding multiple warnings. Zwirner had communicated concerns to Parker about the child being in a “violent mood” and threatening another student. Additionally, another teacher alerted Parker that students had reported the boy might have a gun in his backpack.

On Thursday, the jury awarded Zwirner a total of $10 million in damages. Reports indicate that Parker showed no reaction when the verdict was announced.

One of Zwirner’s lawyers expressed, “I still recall hearing Abby’s story three years ago and thinking this could have been prevented. Now, it seems the jury sees it the same way.”

Zwirner’s attorney emphasized the gravity of the gun report, asserting that it should have prompted immediate action at the school. “If the concern had been taken seriously, we might have known whether the gun was real and on campus,” he argued.

In a poignant statement, Zwirner questioned, “What compensation can you assign for someone who had this kind of experience forced upon her?”

The family of the student released a statement, noting that the child is struggling with an “acute disorder.” As he is underage, no criminal charges were brought against him. The boy’s grandfather suggested that the focus on the case had racial undertones.

Zwirner recounted her terrifying memory of that day. “I thought he was dead. I believed I was either going to heaven or already there, but then everything went black.”

The mother of the student, Dejah Taylor, was sentenced to 21 months in prison for federal firearms and drug offenses. Additionally, she received a two-year sentence for child neglect. Parker, the former assistant principal, faces multiple felony child abuse charges, each connected to the shots fired in the incident.

Interest on Zwirner’s award will start accumulating from June 1, 2024.