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

Ebony Parker, a former elementary school assistant principal in Virginia where a six-year-old student shot his teacher, has been indicted in the case.

A special grand jury in Newport News, Va. has charged Parker, 39, with eight counts of child abuse, records unsealed Tuesday show.

She was charged on March 11 with child abuse and reckless disregard for human life, a class six felony, according to records.

The charges, first reported by The Virginian-Pilot, come about 15 months after a first-grader at Richneck Elementary School brought a gun to school and shot his teacher, Abby Zwerner on Jan. 6, 2023.

Zwerner has a $40 million lawsuit alleging that Parker ignored several warnings that the boy had brought a gun to school that day. As of Nov. 2023, a judge ruled Zwerner can move forward with the suit. The trial is expected to begin early next year.

Zwerner was hospitalized for nearly two weeks and underwent multiple surgeries after the bullet struck her hand and chest. She said Parker and school administrators ignored multiple warnings that the boy had a gun, and routinely dismissed the ongoing concerns about his behavior.

After Zwerner was shot at a reading table in her classroom, she rushed the rest of the students into the hallways before collapsing in the school’s office.

Under state law, a parent, guardian or person responsible fore the care of a child under the age of 18 who willfully or due to “willful omission” permits serious injury to the life and health of a child and is “so gross, wanton, and culpable as to show reckless disregard for human life” is guilty of a Class 6 felony.  

Newport News Circuit Court documents list Parker as a fugitive. Prosecutors are recommending that Parker be held on a $4,000 secured bond upon arrest “and surrender of passport if one exists,” the Virginian-Pilot reported.

Last June, Deja Taylor, the boy’s mother, pleaded guilty to one count of being an illegal drug user while possessing a firearm and one count of making a false statement on a federal form to purchase the firearm. She was later sentenced to 21 months in prison for using marijuana while owning a firearm.

The special grand jury that indicted Parker is expected to release its findings in a report on Wednesday afternoon, the local outlet reported. It’s not known if other school officials will be charged.

Parker resigned from her position just weeks after the shooting.