Virginia Teacher’s Chilling Encounter: 6-Year-Old Shooter’s Warning Signs Ignored – Assistant Principal Faces Trial

Content Advisory: This article contains references to police body-camera footage depicting the aftermath of a school shooting.

On Tuesday, Abby Zwerner, a former teacher from Virginia, shared her testimony about the alarming behavior of a 6-year-old student who shot her in a first-grade classroom. Zwerner recounted the child’s “defiant” actions in the days and hours leading up to the incident.

“I locked eyes with the student,” she recalled during her testimony. “I noticed the gun aimed directly at me, and then I felt the shot.”

Zwerner appeared in court in Newport News for the trial of Ebony Parker, the former assistant principal of Richneck Elementary School. Parker faces eight felony charges of child neglect related to the shooting on January 6, 2023, and has entered a not guilty plea.

In her poignant testimony, Zwerner detailed a series of red flags associated with the student, referred to in court as “JT,” who ultimately drew a firearm and shot her while other children were present in the classroom.

She told jurors the student had already displayed aggressive behavior earlier that week, including an incident in which he grabbed and smashed her cellphone during reading-group time.

Zwerner testified the child appeared “very defiant” before breaking the phone and had what she described as a “challenging face.”

The student was absent the following day but returned to school on Jan. 6, the day of the shooting.

Zwerner testified that throughout the morning she became increasingly concerned about his behavior. She said the child seemed “off already that day” and appeared “violent.”

At lunch, Zwerner testified she observed the student staring intensely at her and a security officer in the cafeteria, which she said stood out to her as unusual behavior.

“I witnessed the student staring her down, very focused on her,” Zwerner testified.

She also told jurors she later saw the child outside at recess wearing an oversized jacket with both hands kept inside his pockets the entire time.

Prosecutors repeatedly questioned Zwerner about whether she relayed concerns to school administrators, including Parker.

Much of Tuesday’s testimony centered on what information Zwerner shared with administration before the shooting.

At several points, defense attorneys objected on hearsay grounds as prosecutors attempted to introduce testimony about reports that the student may have had a gun.

The judge allowed much of the testimony, ruling the statements were not being offered to prove the child had a firearm, but rather to establish what school officials had been told and what they knew before the shooting occurred.

WATCH THE BODYCAM:

Prosecutors allege Parker ignored repeated warnings from staff members that the student could be armed and failed to take action to protect students and employees.

Defense attorneys, meanwhile, sought to shift responsibility during cross-examination by questioning why Zwerner herself did not remove the child from the classroom or call police after becoming concerned he may have had a gun.

Attorney James Ellenson repeatedly pressed Zwerner on whether she personally separated the student from classmates or prevented him from returning to the classroom after recess.

“You allowed him to return to your classroom with other students, is that correct?” Ellenson asked.

“Yes,” Zwerner responded.

Ellenson also asked whether the “first responsibility to protect the students in the classroom” belonged to her as the teacher. Zwerner agreed.

When pressed about what actions she personally took to protect students, Zwerner answered: “I trusted my colleagues.”

Zwerner later recounted the moment the shooting happened.

She testified she was leading a small-group lesson when she saw the child point a gun directly at her.

The bullet traveled through her left hand and into her chest, she said.

Zwerner testified several students were nearby at the time of the shooting, including children sitting close to the student.

After being shot, she said her immediate concern was getting students safely out of the classroom.

“I hoped the children were getting out of the classroom,” she said.

Ebony Parker was released on bond in Newport News, Va., on April 10, 2024. She is the former assistant principal of an elementary school in Newport News. (Newport News Police Department)

Prosecutors brought one felony count for each of the eight bullets loaded in the gun. If convicted, Parker could face up to five years in prison on each count.

The charges allege Parker “did commit a willful act or omission in the care of such students, in a manner so gross, wanton and culpable as to show a reckless disregard for human life,” according to court documents.