The previous assistant principal of a Virginia elementary faculty the place a 6-year-old boy shot and wounded his first-grade trainer final yr has been indicted on eight felony counts of kid neglect.
A particular grand jury discovered that Ebony Parker confirmed a “reckless disregard for the human life” of the opposite college students at Richneck Elementary College on Jan. 6, 2023, in Newport Information, Virginia, unsealed court docket paperwork present.
Every of the costs is punishable by as much as 5 years in jail.
In line with authorities, Parker, of Newport Information, was working the day the 6-year-old fired a single shot at his trainer, Abigail Zwerner, throughout a studying class.
Zwerner has filed a $40 million lawsuit alleging that Parker, 39, ignored a number of warnings that the boy had a gun at school that day. Zwerner was shot within the chest and hand within the taking pictures however has recovered.
The boy advised authorities he received his mom’s 9mm handgun by climbing onto a drawer to succeed in the highest of a dresser, the place the firearm was in his mother’s purse. He hid the weapon in his backpack after which his pocket earlier than taking pictures his trainer.
Within the lawsuit, Zwerner’s attorneys describe a collection of warnings that faculty workers gave directors within the hours earlier than the taking pictures, starting with Zwerner, who went to Parker’s workplace and advised her the boy “was in a violent temper,” had threatened to beat up a kindergartener and stared down a safety officer within the lunchroom. The lawsuit alleges that Parker “had no response, refusing even to search for at (Zwerner) when she expressed her issues.”
The lawsuit additionally alleges {that a} studying specialist advised Parker that the boy had advised college students he had a gun. Parker responded that his “pockets had been too small to carry a handgun and did nothing,” the lawsuit states.
The indictments allege that Parker “did commit a willful act or omission within the care of such college students, in a way so gross, wanton and culpable as to point out a reckless disregard for human life.”
The particular grand jury issued the indictments on March 11, they usually had been unsealed by court docket order Tuesday. A warrant was issued for Parker’s arrest on Tuesday morning, however she’s not but in custody.
Parker, who resigned from her position after the taking pictures, is the primary faculty official and second individual charged on this case.
In December 2023, Deja Taylor, the kid’s mom, was sentenced to 2 years in jail for felony youngster neglect. The state sentence she obtained from Circuit Courtroom Decide Christopher Papile was stiffer than what known as for in state sentencing pointers and harsher than a joint sentencing advice of six months that prosecutors and Taylor’s attorneys had agreed to in a plea deal.
Taylor was additionally sentenced in November 2023 to 21 months in federal jail for utilizing marijuana whereas proudly owning a gun, which is illegitimate beneath U.S. legislation. The mix of her state and federal sentences quantities to a complete punishment of practically 4 years behind bars.
In line with Zwerner’s lawsuit, the boy’s dad and mom didn’t conform to put him in particular schooling courses the place he can be with different college students with behavioral points.
“There have been failures in accountability at a number of ranges that led to Abby being shot and virtually killed. In the present day’s announcement addresses however a kind of failures,” Zwerner’s lawyer stated after Taylor was indicted. “It has been three months of investigation and nonetheless so many unanswered questions stay. Our lawsuit makes clear that we consider the college division violated state legislation, and we’re pursuing this in civil court docket. We is not going to enable faculty leaders to flee accountability for his or her position on this tragedy.”
The Newport Information College Board, former Superintendent George Parker III, former Richneck principal Briana Foster Newton and Parker are named as defendants. The superintendent was fired by the college board.Â
Zwerner now not works for the college system and is now not educating.