Jury awards $10 million to Abigail Zwerner, teacher shot by 6yearold student Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY November 7, 2025 at 5:17 AM 0 The Virginia teacher whose 6yearold student shot and injured her inside a classroom in 2023 has been awarded $10 million in a civil lawsuit against a former school administrator. A jury found in favor of Abigail Zwerner in a Nov. 6 verdict. Zwerner sued former assistant principal Ebony Parker for $40 million after the Jan.
- - Jury awards $10 million to Abigail Zwerner, teacher shot by 6-year-old student
Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY November 7, 2025 at 5:17 AM
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The Virginia teacher whose 6-year-old student shot and injured her inside a classroom in 2023 has been awarded $10 million in a civil lawsuit against a former school administrator.
A jury found in favor of Abigail Zwerner in a Nov. 6 verdict. Zwerner sued former assistant principal Ebony Parker for $40 million after the Jan. 6, 2023, shooting at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, arguing that the former assistant principal had multiple warnings a student had a gun but failed to take action to prevent the shooting.
The shooting unfolded in the first-grade classroom where Zwerner was teaching students. A 6-year-old boy used a gun that belonged to his mother to shoot Zwerner once, striking her in the hand and chest. Zwerner was hospitalized for nearly two weeks and told the jury she thought she had died, according to news reports.
The shooting rocked community and drew national attention to the question of how such a young child could commit such an act of violence.
Police tape hangs from a sign post outside Richneck Elementary School following a shooting in January 2023 in Newport News, Virginia.
Parker was also charged with felony child abuse and disregard for life in an ongoing criminal case.
Zwerner's lawsuit claimed that she spoke with Parker before the shooting and told her the boy was in a "violent mood" and had threatened to beat up a child. The suit also claimed another teacher told Parker that students reported the boy had a gun in his backpack.
Previously: School administrators 'could not be bothered' to heed warnings about 6-year-old who shot teacher, lawyer says
"Those choices that (Parker) made to treat Jan. 6, 2023, like any other day, even though a gun should change everything, is why we're here," Zwerner's attorney, Kevin Biniazan, said during closing arguments, according to ABC News.
Sandra Douglas, one of Parker's lawyers, said the case should be about "real-time judgments, not hindsight judgments," the outlet reported.
"It was a tragedy that, until that day, was unprecedented, it was unthinkable and it was unforeseeable, and I ask that you please not compound that tragedy by blaming Dr. Parker for it," Douglas said, according to ABC.
The mother of the boy who shot Zwerner, Deja Taylor, previously pleaded guilty to state charges of felony child neglect and federal marijuana possession while owning a handgun. The boy did not face charges due to his age, officials have said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jury awards $10 million to Virginia teacher shot by 6-year-old
Source: "AOL Breaking"
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Published: November 06, 2025 at 08:58PM on Source: MARIO MAG
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