Former Teacher Recalls Shooting Incident in Court
A former first-grade teacher from Virginia reflected on the harrowing moment two years ago when she was shot by a 6-year-old student, expressing that she thought she might be “dead.”
Abigail Zwirner, who once taught at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, recounted the incident that occurred on January 6, 2023, when the child shot her while standing by her desk, hitting her in both the hand and chest.
“The last thing I remember was thinking I was going to die,” Zwirner said quietly during her testimony on the second day of a trial involving a $40 million lawsuit. “I thought I was dead, as if I was either on my way to heaven or already there.”
“But then everything went black, and I had to think, ‘No, I’m not going there,'” she explained.
Her next memory was of two colleagues hovering over her.
“I’m processing my pain while they’re applying pressure to my injuries,” she recalled.
Zwirner is suing the former assistant principal, Ebony Parker, for gross negligence, claiming that she ignored warnings from multiple teachers about the child’s possession of a gun. Zwirner emphasized the stark image of the boy’s expression when he fired the weapon.
“The look on his face is a key memory for me,” she told the jury. “It was a blank look, but also not blank at all.”
Having resigned from her position and not worked full-time since, Zwirner described the physical and emotional impacts of the incident.
She shared that she struggles to use her left hand normally and has undergone several surgeries, the latest occurring in April. Tasks as simple as opening a bag of chips have become challenging for her; she even asked her lawyer to assist her with that during lunch on Wednesday.
“Overall, I find it hard to do many things,” Zwirner stated.
Moreover, she discussed how the experience has affected her relationships, leaving her feeling somewhat distant and apprehensive about going out.
“I still feel a sense of connection in my relationships,” she said, “but there’s also a distance, a little numbness. I love them, I know them, yet something feels different. It’s hard to put into words.”
She mentioned a planned outing to see “Hamilton” with her mother and sister. However, recalling that a previous film she watched featured a gun duel scene led her to reconsider the trip.
Zwirner confirmed that bullet fragments still remain in her body from the shooting.
In her lawsuit, Zwirner accused Parker of failing to take seriously reports from teachers regarding the boy’s alarming behavior and potential possession of a weapon. Despite being alerted by two students who claimed the boy had a gun, Parker did not respond adequately.
During cross-examination, Parker’s attorney questioned Zwirner about whether she had privately approached him regarding the student’s gun, to which Zwirner replied that she hadn’t felt the need since another teacher had already done so.
That day, Zwirner admitted to grappling with uncertainty over whether the gun was real or fake.
“All day I wondered if it was real, or maybe just a toy,” she said. “When he mentioned bringing a gun to school, it was definitely a possibility.”
Forensic psychiatrist Dr. Clarence Watson testified that he believed Zwirner was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder due to the shooting, citing her experiences of panic and difficulty breathing, feeling as if someone were trailing her.
She also shared struggles with insomnia and suicidal thoughts.
Psychological experts have indicated that her trauma will likely linger, necessitating ongoing therapy and medication for anxiety and depression.
Adding to her difficulty is the physical reminder of the incident, with bullet fragments still lodged in her chest that surgeons could not remove safely.
Zwirner’s legal team is expected to continue with the case later this afternoon.
The boy’s mother, Dejah Taylor, was sentenced to two years in prison for child neglect in relation to the shooting. Parker is also set to face criminal charges stemming from the incident.
