Charges Dismissed for Ex-Assistant Principal After Shooting by 6-Year-Old
The New York Times • • nation
Key Points:
- A judge dismissed charges against Ebony Parker, a former assistant principal in Virginia, who was accused of failing to act before a 6-year-old student brought a gun to school and shot a teacher.
- The shooting occurred on January 6, 2023, at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, where first-grade teacher Abigail Zwerner was seriously injured but survived.
- Prosecutors claimed Parker had the authority and duty to intervene by ordering a search of the student but failed to do so, leading to eight felony counts of child abuse and neglect.
- Parker's attorney argued that the primary responsibility to prevent the shooting lay with the teacher and staff directly interacting with the student, and that their actions indicated no perceived immediate threat.
- Ebony Parker has resigned from her position following the incident, and the case against her has now been dismissed by the court.