NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) – It’s been over three years since 1st-grade teacher Abigail Zwerner was shot by one of her students in her classroom at Richneck Elementary. Three years later, the criminal trial against the school’s former assistant principal, Dr. Ebony Parker, is set to begin.
Hearing underway for former assistant principal in Abby Zwerner shooting
Monday’s criminal trial comes after the November civil trial, in which the jury found Parker negligent and awarded Zwerner $10 million in damages.
During the civil trial, Zwerner’s attorneys argued that Parker, the school’s assistant principal at the time, failed to act on warning signs that the student had brought a gun to the school. Parker’s attorneys are arguing that Zwerner getting injured comes with the risk of being a teacher.
“The job of a first-grade teacher does carry the risk of being attacked by a young student,” said Parker’s attorney Matthew Fitzgerald…