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OAN Staff Taylor Tinsley
5:08 PM – Thursday, November 6, 2025
A former Virginia teacher is awarded $10 million in her lawsuit against the former vice principal of Richneck Elementary School and the Newport News School Division after she was shot by her six-year-old student.
Jurors handed down their verdict in the civil lawsuit filed by Abigail Zwerner on Thursday.
“Now, to hear from a jury of her peers that they agree that this tragedy could have been prevented… we’re very happy with the outcome for today and that Abby’s story got to be told,” said Zwerner’s legal team after the verdict.
Zwerner, a former first grade teacher at Richneck Elementary School, was shot in the hand and chest by her own student in January of 2023. She was 25-years-old at the time.
Zwerner later filed a $40 million lawsuit against the ex-assistant principal, Ebony Parker, and the school division.
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“Obviously I thought I was dying,” Zwerner testified. “I thought I had died.”
Lawyers for the former teacher brought 16 witnesses to the stand, including a school administration expert who said Parker didn’t do her job despite receiving multiple reports that the child had brought a gun to school.
The bullet remains lodged inside her chest, where doctors say it’ll likely stay because it’s too risky to remove.
Closing arguments wrapped up on Wednesday. Parker’s defense argued that no one could have predicted a six-year-old would bring a gun to school.
“It was something that had never happened and that Dr. Parker would not have known the outcome of the day,” attorney Sandra Douglas said. “Miss Zwerner herself told you that when she saw the gun for the first time that day, when it was unfortunately pointed at her, that she was shocked because she didn’t expect to see a real gun.”
One of Zwerner’s lawyers, Kevin Biniazan, said Parker ignored flashing warning signs.
“There were road signs in front of Dr. Parker for an hour and a half, screaming at her, flashing at her, telling her exactly what was going to happen if she did not act” said Biniazan. “You do not need to look in the rearview mirror to know what’s coming ahead.”
The verdict comes as Parker still faces eight counts of felony child neglect in a criminal trial slated to begin on November 17th.
The mother of the boy who shot Zwerner, Deja Taylor, has already been sentenced to two years in prison on felony neglect and weapons charges.
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