A Virginia teacher who was shot by her 6-year-old student recounted in court that she did not separate the child from his classmates on the day of the incident. Jurors also listened to testimony from two defense experts who asserted that the school’s former assistant principal acted appropriately under the circumstances.
During a video deposition presented in court on Monday, Abigail Zwerner, a former first-grade teacher, was asked a pivotal question: “Did you ever isolate [J.T.] from the class on January 6, 2023?”
“No,” Zwerner replied.
Zwerner has initiated a $40 million negligence lawsuit against Ebony Parker, the former assistant principal of Richneck Elementary. The teacher, who was 25 at the time, contends that Parker disregarded several warnings suggesting that the student might have brought a 9-millimeter handgun to school.
On January 6, 2023, Zwerner was shot in her classroom by the young student who had smuggled a firearm into the school premises.
The shooting resulted in a bullet striking Zwerner’s left hand and lodging in her chest, narrowly missing her heart. The bullet remains in her body.
Dr. Leigh Hagan, a forensic psychologist, testified that he never met Zwerner or Parker but discussed the professional standards used when experts evaluate individuals in legal cases.
Hagan told jurors that psychologists are expected to consider “all available information” when forming opinions and to identify missing evidence that could affect their conclusions.
Former Richneck Elementary School Assistant Principal Ebony Parker looks back into the courtroom during Abby Zwerner’s lawsuit against her Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, in Newport News, Va. (Stephen M. Katz/The Virginian-Pilot via AP, Pool)
The defense also called Dr. Amy Klinger, a national school-safety expert and co-founder of the Educator’s School Safety Network. Klinger testified that, in her professional opinion, Parker did not breach professional standards and “was not indifferent” to Zwerner on the day of the shooting.
Asked whether Parker’s decision to delay a search of the child was reasonable, Klinger said yes, explaining that staff members were “appropriately cautious.”
“This is a 6-year-old, this is a little kid,” she said. “We are not going to just at will start doing body searches on kids, especially when there isn’t good information that would support that at that point.”
She added that, based on her review of the record, “it would be difficult for anyone to have foreseen” the child’s actions.
“The behaviors and actions show they did not perceive a plausible, imminent threat,” Klinger testified.
Under questioning, Klinger rejected claims that Parker sat idly at her desk as concerns came in.
“I wouldn’t say she never got out of her chair,” she said. “She provided assistance when it was asked for.”
Klinger also testified that there was “no evidence” Zwerner had secured students or immediately notified administrators of a serious infraction before the shooting.
Former Richneck Elementary School teacher Abby Zwerner looks back into the courtroom during her civil lawsuit trial, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, in Newport News, Va. (Stephen M. Katz/The Virginian-Pilot via AP, Pool)
Last week, Zwerner testified on the longstanding emotional and psychological effects of the shooting.
“The last thing I remember at the school, I thought I was dying. I thought I had died. I thought I was either on my way to heaven or in heaven,” Zwerner told the court. “Then it all went black. So, then I thought I wasn’t going there.”
Attorneys for the Newport News School Board maintain the shooting was an unforeseeable act by a 6-year-old and that Parker’s actions that day were measured and appropriate.
Messages of support for teacher Abby Zwerner, who was shot by a 6-year-old student, grace the front door of Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Va., on Monday, Jan. 9, 2023. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)
Parker faces a separate criminal trial on eight felony counts of child neglect, one for “each of the eight bullets that endangered students” in Zwerner’s classroom, prosecutors have said.
The boy’s mother, Deja Taylor, is serving a two-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to federal gun and child neglect charges.
