General · 7 November 2025
Jury awards teacher ten million after student shooting
A jury awarded $10 million to former first-grade teacher Abby Zwerner, who was shot by her 6-year-old student at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News in January 2023. Zwerner sued assistant principal Ebony Parker for gross negligence, alleging Parker ignored multiple warnings about the child having a gun. Zwerner suffered permanent injuries, spending two weeks in hospital and requiring six surgeries, with the bullet still lodged in her chest. Parker faces separate criminal charges.
Reported by CNN · How we write briefs