The trial of former Richneck Elementary assistant principal Ebony Parker has opened in Newport News, Virginia, where prosecutors say she ignored warnings that a 6-year-old student had a loaded gun before the boy shot first-grade teacher Abby Zwerner in January 2023. Jury selection began Monday as Parker pleads not guilty to eight felony child neglect counts tied to the shooting that seriously injured Zwerner. The case follows a prior civil trial that resulted in a $10 million judgment and has stirred questions about who knew what and when inside the school.

Prosecutors say multiple school staff members alerted Parker that the student might be carrying a weapon, and they argue she failed to act on those warnings before the shooting. Each of the eight charges corresponds to a bullet in the gun, and if convicted Parker faces up to five years behind bars on each count. The accusation centers on a chain of missed signals that prosecutors call a preventable breakdown.

Parker’s legal team rejects the idea she is solely to blame and says broader systemic failures at the school and elsewhere set the stage for the tragedy. Her defense has portrayed the criminal case as an effort to pin responsibility on a single administrator for events she could not have foreseen. That tension between individual accountability and institutional responsibility is playing out in front of jurors in Newport News.

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The shooting occurred on Jan. 6, 2023, when the 6-year-old student brought a handgun into a first-grade classroom and shot teacher Abby Zwerner. Zwerner survived after emergency surgery that lasted through six operations and a hospital stay of nearly two weeks, but she still struggles with limited use of her left hand. Her injuries have been a constant reminder of how quickly a school day can turn into a life-altering event.

The criminal trial follows a civil lawsuit in which a jury in November 2025 awarded Zwerner $10 million, concluding the former administrator had dismissed concerns about the possibility of a firearm. Parker’s attorneys argued during the civil case that the shooting was unforeseeable and that she did not have a legal responsibility to shield Zwerner from the attack. That contrast—criminal culpability versus civil liability—adds another layer of complexity for jurors to consider now.

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Zwerner is expected to take the stand during the criminal proceedings, where she will likely face questions about the moments before the shooting and the aftermath. Her testimony could be pivotal in shaping jurors’ understanding of how events unfolded and whether warnings were acted on. The personal account of a teacher who nearly lost her life brings human stakes to the legal arguments about duty and negligence.

Details revealed in the investigations show the child obtained the weapon from his mother’s purse after climbing onto a dresser at home. The student’s mother was later sentenced to nearly four years in prison for her role in the incident. That sentence and the criminal cases spotlight parental responsibility alongside questions about school oversight.

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Beyond the courtroom in Newport News, the case has fed a wider conversation about how to prevent weapons from reaching young children and how the law should assign responsibility when it happens. Some lawmakers and advocates have argued for tougher parental accountability, while school officials emphasize improved safety protocols and staff training. The Parker trial is part of a broader debate over prevention, punishment, and the limits of predictability in school safety.

As the trial moves forward, jurors will weigh witness reports from school employees, testimony from Zwerner, and the legal arguments from both sides about foreseeability and duty. The outcome could have lasting consequences for Parker and for how schools handle vague but serious warnings from staff. Whatever the verdict, the case has already reshaped conversations about safety in classrooms and the responsibilities of adults charged with protecting children.