Former school official indicted in Virginia case involving teacher shot by 6-year-old

Former elementary school assistant principal Ebony Parker has been charged in connection with the shooting death of a 6-year-old student in Virginia.

A special grand jury in Newport News, Virginia, indicted Parker, 39, on eight counts of child abuse, records released Tuesday showed.

She was charged March 11 with sixth-degree felony counts of child abuse and disregard for human life, records show.

Fee, First reported by The Virginian-Pilotabout 15 months after a first-grader at Rich Neck Elementary School brought a gun to school and shot and killed teacher Abby Zwirner on January 6, 2023.

Zwirner is suing Parker for $40 million, alleging he ignored several warnings that day that the boy brought a gun to school. As of November 2023, a judge has ruled that Zwerner can move forward with his case. The trial is scheduled to begin early next year.

Zwerner was hit in the hand and chest by bullets and was hospitalized for nearly two weeks, undergoing multiple surgeries. He said Parker and school administrators ignored multiple warnings that the boy had a gun and routinely ignored ongoing concerns about his behavior.

Zwerner was shot at the reading table in his classroom, forcing the rest of the students to rush into the hallway, before collapsing in the school’s office.

under State Lawa parent, guardian, or person responsible for the care of a child under the age of 18 intentionally or by “deliberate omission” causes serious harm to the child’s life and health; “Showing gross, unreasonable and culpable “reckless disregard for human life” is a class 6 felony.

Newport News Circuit Court documents list Parker as a fugitive. Prosecutors set Parker on $4,000 secured bail at the time of his arrest and recommended that he “surrender his passport, if any,” the Virginian-Pilot reported.

Last June, the boy’s mother, Dejah Taylor, was charged with one count of using illegal drugs while possessing a firearm and one count of making a false statement on a federal application to purchase a firearm. Pleaded guilty. She was later sentenced to 21 months in prison for using marijuana while possessing a firearm.

The special grand jury that indicted Parker is scheduled to release its findings in a report Wednesday afternoon, local newspapers reported. It is unclear whether other school officials will also be charged.

Parker resigned from his position just weeks after the shooting.