The former assistant principal had faced eight felony child neglect counts after a 6-year-old shot his teacher.
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — A Virginia judge dismissed criminal charges against former Richneck Elementary School assistant principal Ebony Parker after prosecutors said she ignored warnings that a 6-year-old had a gun before he shot teacher Abby Zwerner.
The ruling ended a rare attempt to hold a school administrator criminally responsible after a school shooting. Parker had faced eight felony child neglect counts, one for each bullet prosecutors said was in the handgun brought to the Newport News school in January 2023.
Special prosecutor Josh Jenkins told jurors that Parker received repeated reports that the child may have had a gun but did not call police, search the child or remove him from class. Jenkins said Parker told employees the child’s mother would arrive soon to pick him up. “Warning after warning after warning, she did nothing,” Jenkins said during opening statements.
Parker’s attorney, Curtis Rogers, argued that the case did not meet the legal standard for felony child neglect. He said teachers and other employees who had direct contact with the child also could have moved students or separated the boy from the classroom. Rogers said Parker may have made a poor decision, but he argued that a mistake was not the same as a crime.
Zwerner testified that the child had slammed her phone days before the shooting and seemed to be in a violent mood on Jan. 6, 2023. She said he wore an oversized jacket at recess and kept both hands in his pockets. After recess, he remained in the jacket inside the classroom, where he shot Zwerner while she sat at a reading table.
Zwerner spent nearly two weeks in the hospital, underwent multiple surgeries and lost full use of her left hand. A bullet narrowly missed her heart and remained lodged in her chest. In a separate civil case, a jury awarded Zwerner $10 million after finding Parker liable for ignoring warnings before the shooting.
The child’s mother, Deja Taylor, was sentenced to prison in related child neglect and weapons cases. The boy was not charged because of his age. The shooting drew national attention because of the child’s age and because school employees said warning signs reached administrators before the gun was fired.
The dismissal leaves Parker without criminal liability in the case, though the civil judgment remains a separate matter. The next public steps are expected to center on any posttrial motions and the continuing fallout from the Richneck shooting.
Author note: Last updated May 24, 2026.