Virginia Court awards $10million to teacher who was shot by 6-year-old student

Friday, November 7, 2025 - A jury in Virginia has awarded $10 million to Abby Zwerner, the former elementary school teacher who was shot by her 6-year-old student in 2023.

The verdict, reached after approximately 5½ hours of deliberation, concluded a civil trial that centered on holding school officials accountable for failing to prevent a shooting tragedy

Zwerner, a former teacher at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, was suing former assistant principal Ebony Parker. The lawsuit alleged that Parker failed to act on multiple warnings and concerns that the student had brought a gun to school on the day in January 2023 when the shooting occurred. Zwerner was shot in the chest and hand while sitting at a reading table in her classroom.

Zwerner’s attorneys argued that Parker’s primary duty was to ensure campus safety, especially after being alerted to the gun threat.

“A gun changes everything. You stop and you investigate,” argued attorney Kevin Biniazan. “You get to the bottom of that backpack. You get to the bottom of his pockets... to know whether that gun is real and on campus.”

In contrast, Parker's defense stressed that no one could have foreseen that a child so young would bring a weapon to school and carry out a shooting. Defense attorneys also pointed out that Zwerner herself did not directly report concerns to Parker, arguing that school safety is the responsibility of all officials, not just one person.

Legal experts suggest this case could set a significant legal precedent for assigning blame when children gain access to guns and perpetrate school shootings, a growing crisis in the US.

As of last week, the country has seen 64 school shootings this year, 27 of them on K-12 grounds.

The civil verdict may also offer a roadmap for the criminal case set to take place next month against Ebony Parker, who faces eight counts of felony child neglect.

Abby Zwerner gave emotional testimony about the lasting impact of the shooting.

“I thought I was dying. I thought I had died,” Zwerner tearfully recalled during the trial. “I thought I was either on my way to heaven or in heaven.”

She detailed the emotional withdrawal she now endures and the physical difficulties she faces, such as struggling with daily tasks due to her hand injury.

Parker’s defense attempted to challenge the extent of Zwerner’s claims, noting that she was still able to graduate from cosmetology school and attend concerts despite her reported struggles with public outings.