In January 2023, a tragic shooting incident took place at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News. Following this incident, Ebony Parker, a former assistant principal, has faced severe consequences. The special grand jury’s investigation found Parker guilty of eight counts of neglect and each count carries a potential sentence of five years in prison. The investigation revealed that she ignored multiple warnings about a student who had a gun on school grounds.
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The shooting critically injured teacher Abigail Zwerner who underwent several surgeries due to injuries sustained from a bullet that penetrated her hand and chest. In the aftermath, Zwerner initiated a $40 million lawsuit against Parker, accusing her of negligence for failing to act on at least three distinct warnings about the student’s possession of a gun and his threatening behavior on the day of the incident. Documents from the lawsuit detailed a particularly alarming instance where Zwerner reported to Parker that the student exhibited violent tendencies and had made threats, only to be met with indifference from Parker, who allegedly dismissed the concerns without investigation, as reported by the Washington Post.
Further accusations against Parker include ignoring other staff members’ concerns regarding the possibility of the child bringing a gun to school and rejecting a suggestion to inspect his backpack. The indictment accuses Parker of committing an act of “reckless disregard for human life.” The special grand jury noted an incident where Zwerner reported to Parker, warning her that the student exhibited aggressive behavior and had issued threats towards a younger child, yet Parker failed to take action. This lack of response was seen as a critical missed opportunity to prevent the subsequent shooting, according to Zwerner’s claims. The report detailed Parker’s inaction, noting her remaining to be focused on her computer screen without acknowledging the concern.
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Another finding revealed that a reading specialist encountered two students who urgently reported that the boy was carrying a gun in his backpack. Upon confronting the student, he denied possession of the weapon and refused a bag search. This alarming information was relayed to Parker, who, once more, chose not to act on these serious warnings.
While Parker faces these serious charges, she had not been taken into custody as of Tuesday morning following the indictment’s filing. In a related development, the student’s mother, 26-year-old Deja Nicole Taylor, faced legal consequences for her role in the incident. Charged with felony child neglect for allowing her child access to her gun, Taylor pleaded guilty and received a combined sentence for state and federal charges related to the incident and lying on a gun acquisition form about her drug use.
The young boy involved in the shooting is currently under the care of a relative. He has been enrolled in a different school.