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The previous assistant principal of a Virginia elementary faculty the place a 6-year-old boy shot and wounded his first-grade trainer final 12 months has been indicted on eight felony counts of kid neglect.
A particular grand jury discovered that Ebony Parker confirmed a “reckless disregard for the human life” of the opposite college students at Richneck Elementary College on Jan. 6, 2023, in Newport Information, Virginia, unsealed court docket paperwork present.
Every of the costs is punishable by as much as 5 years in jail.
Based on authorities, Parker, of Newport Information, was working the day the 6-year-old fired a single shot at his trainer, Abigail Zwerner, throughout a studying class.
Zwerner has filed a $40 million lawsuit alleging that Parker, 39, ignored a number of warnings that the boy had a gun at school that day. Zwerner was shot within the chest and hand within the taking pictures however has recovered.
The boy instructed authorities he bought his mom’s 9mm handgun by climbing onto a drawer to achieve the highest of a dresser, the place the firearm was in his mother’s purse. He hid the weapon in his backpack after which his pocket earlier than taking pictures his trainer.
Zwerner household
Within the lawsuit, Zwerner’s legal professionals describe a sequence of warnings that college staff gave directors within the hours earlier than the taking pictures, starting with Zwerner, who went to Parker’s workplace and instructed her the boy “was in a violent temper,” had threatened to beat up a kindergartener and stared down a safety officer within the lunchroom. The lawsuit alleges that Parker “had no response, refusing even to search for at (Zwerner) when she expressed her issues.”
The lawsuit additionally alleges {that a} studying specialist instructed Parker that the boy had instructed college students he had a gun. Parker responded that his “pockets had been too small to carry a handgun and did nothing,” the lawsuit states.
The indictments allege that Parker “did commit a willful act or omission within the care of such college students, in a way so gross, wanton and culpable as to indicate a reckless disregard for human life.”
The particular grand jury issued the indictments on March 11, they usually had been unsealed by court docket order Tuesday. A warrant was issued for Parker’s arrest on Tuesday morning, however she’s not but in custody.
Parker, who resigned from her function after the taking pictures, is the primary faculty official and second particular person charged on this case.
Stephen M. Katz/Newport Information Each day Press/Tribune Information Service through Getty Pictures
In December 2023, Deja Taylor, the kid’s mom, was sentenced to 2 years in jail for felony little one neglect. The state sentence she obtained from Circuit Courtroom Decide Christopher Papile was stiffer than what is known as for in state sentencing pointers and harsher than a joint sentencing suggestion of six months that prosecutors and Taylor’s legal professionals had agreed to in a plea deal.
Taylor was additionally sentenced in November 2023 to 21 months in federal jail for utilizing marijuana whereas proudly owning a gun, which is against the law beneath U.S. legislation. The mix of her state and federal sentences quantities to a complete punishment of practically 4 years behind bars.
Based on Zwerner’s lawsuit, the boy’s dad and mom didn’t conform to put him in particular training lessons the place he can be with different college students with behavioral points.
“There have been failures in accountability at a number of ranges that led to Abby being shot and nearly killed. Immediately’s announcement addresses however a kind of failures,” Zwerner’s lawyer mentioned after Taylor was indicted. “It has been three months of investigation and nonetheless so many unanswered questions stay. Our lawsuit makes clear that we consider the college division violated state legislation, and we’re pursuing this in civil court docket. We is not going to enable faculty leaders to flee accountability for his or her function on this tragedy.”
The Newport Information College Board, former Superintendent George Parker III, former Richneck principal Briana Foster Newton and Parker are named as defendants. The superintendent was fired by the college board.
Zwerner not works for the college system and is not instructing.
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