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The then-assistant principal of the Virginia school where a 6-year-old boy shot and critically injured his third-grade teacher has been slapped with child neglect charges in the case.
A special grand jury charged Ebony Parker, 39, with eight counts of felony child neglect and reckless disregard for human life, according to newly unsealed indictments, The Virginian-Pilot reported.
The indictments were issued March 11 but unsealed by court order Tuesday — and a warrant was issued for Parker’s arrest, according to the outlet.
The charges — each punishable by up to five years in prison — come about 15 months after the first-grader at Richneck Elementary School brought a gun to school and shot teacher Abby Zwerner on Jan. 6, 2023. The bullet went through the teacher’s left hand and struck her in the upper chest.
“I did it … I shot that bitch dead,” the pint-size pistol packer bragged to a staffer restraining him afterward, according to court documents. “I got my mom’s gun last night.”
Zwerner has filed a $40 million lawsuit accusing Parker of ignoring several warnings, including from other teachers, that the child had a firearm in school.
The special grand jury argued that Parker failed to take action.
“Being a person responsible for the care of students under the age of 18 at Richneck Elementary School,” she committed “a willful act or omission in the care of such students” that was “so gross, wanton, and culpable as to show a reckless disregard for human life, documents reportedly state.
Parker, who has resigned, had worked for the school district since 2008 and had been Richneck’s assistant principal for about two years at the time of the shooting.
She has not responded to several attempts to reach her in the past year and her attorney, Curtis Rogers, could not immediately be reached by The Virginian-Pilot.
Deja Nicole Taylor, the boy’s 26-year-old mother, was charged with felony child neglect after he took her gun to school. She has pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years behind bars.
Taylor also was sentenced in federal court to 21 months for lying on a gun purchasing form about her marijuana use and having both a gun and the narcotic at the same time.
The boy told investigators he got his mom’s 9mm handgun by climbing onto a drawer to reach the top of a dresser, where the firearm was hidden in her mom’s purse.
He stuffed the weapon in his backpack and then shot his teacher in front of her first-grade class.
The child is now reportedly being cared for by his great-grandfather.
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Amanda Smith is a dedicated U.S. correspondent with a passion for uncovering the stories that shape the nation. With a background in political science, she provides in-depth analysis and insightful commentary on domestic affairs, ensuring readers are well-informed about the latest developments across the United States.
