A first-grade teacher in a classroom looking shocked, a young student in the foreground with a blurred handgun on a desk, dramatic lighting.
A first-grade teacher in a classroom looking shocked, a young student in the foreground with a blurred handgun on a desk, dramatic lighting.

Abby Zwerner: The Teacher Shot by a 6-Year-Old Student

Abby Zwerner, a former first-grade teacher at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, was awarded $10 million by a jury on November 6, 2025. This verdict was against former assistant principal Ebony Parker, whom Zwerner accused of ignoring multiple warnings that a 6-year-old student had a gun before he shot her in January 2023.

The Shooting Incident

The shooting occurred on January 6, 2023, when the young student intentionally shot Zwerner as she sat at a reading table in her classroom. The bullet passed through her hand and lodged in her chest, narrowly missing her heart. She underwent six surgeries and continues to experience limited use of her left hand.

Legal Proceedings

In her lawsuit, Zwerner alleged that Parker failed to act on credible warnings from staff about the student's possession of a firearm. The jury found Parker liable for this negligence. Parker is also facing a separate criminal trial on eight counts of felony child neglect.

The student's mother was sentenced to nearly four years in prison for felony child neglect and federal weapons charges, after it was revealed that the child accessed the gun from her purse at home.

Aftermath and Current Status

Zwerner has since left teaching and has become a licensed cosmetologist. Her case brought national attention to school safety protocols and the responsibilities of school administrators in responding to potential threats.

Recent Developments

The case continues to have significant implications for school safety policies and administrative accountability in educational institutions across the United States.

The prompt for this was: abby zwerner

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