In a poignant courtroom retelling, Abby Zwerner, a former Virginia teacher, shared her traumatic experience of being shot by a 6-year-old student in January 2023. As she testified in her ongoing $40 million lawsuit against former assistant principal Ebony Parker, Zwerner depicted the chilling moment she believed she had died following the shooting.
Zwerner, who described her ordeal from a hospital bed after being shot in the hand and chest, recounted, I thought I had died. I thought I was either on my way to heaven or in heaven. But then it all got black. The incident, which garnered national attention, unfolded in her first-grade classroom at Richneck Elementary School, resulting in her needing multiple surgeries and enduring significant physical and emotional trauma.
Following the shooting, Zwerner has since transitioned from teaching and is now a licensed cosmetologist. In court, she emphasized the severity of her injuries and the lack of action taken by Parker after concerns were raised about the young student's access to a firearm prior to the incident. Parker remains the sole defendant in a lawsuit that previously saw both the school’s principal and superintendent dismissed.
The implications of the shooting continue to reverberate through the community and beyond, as various stakeholders question how such young children can possess firearms and the responsibilities of school officials in ensuring safety.
Parker, facing her own legal challenges, is set for a criminal trial that includes multiple felony child neglect counts. Separate legal actions have also occurred against the child's mother, who was sentenced for felony child neglect related to the incident. These events sparked national discussions on children's access to guns and school safety protocols.
