The former vice principal of a Virginia elementary school where a 6-year-old student shot and killed his teacher in 2023 has been charged with child abuse, court records show.
Ebony Parker faces eight charges related to the day of the shooting, each of which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, according to online documents. A warrant has been issued for her arrest, according to documentary evidence.
Court records filed in Newport News Circuit Court were unsealed Tuesday, about a month after the grand jury handed down the indictment.
NBC News was not immediately able to obtain a copy of the indictment to learn more about the charges.
The Newport News U.S. Attorney's Office did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. It was not immediately known whether Parker had legal representation and could not be reached for comment.
The Jan. 6, 2023, shooting of first-grade teacher Abigail Zwirner raises concerns about potential security lapses at Rich Neck Elementary School in Newport News and a school district roiled by incidents of gun violence at other campuses. caused.
Authorities said Zwerner was intentionally shot by one of his students, but he escorted the panicking class to safety. The bullet pierced Zwerner's left hand, shattering his bones, and then lodged in his upper chest, leaving behind fragments.
Three months after the classroom shooting, she filed a $40 million lawsuit against the school district, alleging that administrators failed to listen to multiple warnings from staff and students that their child had a handgun. woke up. Parker resigned in the wake of the lawsuit.
Zwerner's lawyers welcomed the additional charges in Tuesday's case.
“These charges are very serious and challenge the school district's failure to take action to prevent the tragic shooting death of Abby Zwirner,” attorneys Diane Toscano, Kevin Biniazan and Jeffrey Bright said in a statement. It highlights this,” he said. “The school board continues to deny responsibility for Abby, and this indictment is just another brick in a growing wall of failures and gross negligence in their case.”
The boy's mother, Dejah Taylor, was sentenced in December to two years in prison on a state charge of felony child abandonment.
Taylor must begin his state sentence after serving 21 months on related federal charges. She pleaded guilty in June to a charge of using marijuana while possessing a firearm, which is illegal under federal law, and she was sentenced in November.
Taylor's attorney, James Ellenson, told NBC News on Tuesday that he believes his client does not share full responsibility for the day of the shooting and wishes he had seen charges brought against school officials sooner. said.
The charges against the former school official represent new ground in school gun violence-related prosecutions, Ellenson added.
“I think we're breaking new ground,” he said.
Local prosecutor Howard Gwynn told NBC News after the shooting that he would not file charges against the students because of their age.
Seven separate lawsuits were filed in January on behalf of parents and guardians alleging multiple counts of negligence against school leaders. Emily Mapp Brannon, the family's attorney, said in her statement that “the suffering of the Rich Neck students is being ignored.”
“These charges suggest there is ample evidence that Rich Neck students were endangered by the very hands they were entrusted with protecting,” Brannon said. “On behalf of seven families, I am optimistic that our criminal justice system will provide answers for the Rich Neck community. For the first time in over a year, these families are holding the administration accountable. You might be relieved to know that.”