Teacher Shot by Student Awarded $10 Million in Urgent Verdict

UPDATE: Abigail Zwerner, a former teacher at Richneck Elementary School, has been awarded $10 million by a jury in a civil trial after being shot by a 6-year-old student on January 6, 2023. This verdict comes as a crucial message about teacher safety in schools, highlighting urgent concerns over weapon access.

The jury’s decision, announced on Thursday, comes despite Zwerner’s legal team originally seeking $40 million in damages. The trial focused on the responsibilities of the Newport News School Division and former assistant principal Ebony Parker, who faced accusations of negligence. During the closing arguments, Zwerner’s attorney, Kevin Biniazan, emphasized the critical need for action in response to repeated warnings that the young student had brought a gun to class.

“A gun changes everything,” Biniazan stated, insisting that immediate investigation was essential. Zwerner’s team argued that multiple staff members had alerted Parker about the student’s concerning behavior prior to the incident.

In defense, Parker’s attorney, Sandra Douglas, contended that Parker acted with “real-time judgment” and not hindsight. She urged jurors to consider the context of the situation, stating, “Your job is to consider only what Dr. Parker knew at the time.”

The emotional aftermath of the shooting has reverberated throughout the community. Following the verdict, attorney Jeffrey Breit addressed a crowd outside the Newport News courthouse, voicing the widespread concern among teachers about their safety in schools. “If this doesn’t send a message to the schools of America that teacher safety and children’s safety from weapons is too important to make it a second thought, I don’t know what will,” he declared.

This verdict is not the end of legal proceedings for Parker, who is facing a separate criminal trial on November 17. She is charged with eight counts of felony child neglect, each related to the bullets reportedly present in the weapon used during the shooting incident.

As the community grapples with the implications of this tragic event, the verdict underscores the urgent need for reforms to ensure the safety of educators and students alike. Advocates are calling for immediate action to prioritize safety measures within schools across the nation.

Stay tuned for further updates as this story develops.