Fri Nov 07 01:39:46 UTC 2025: Here’s a summary and rewrite as a news article:
Summary:
A Virginia jury awarded former teacher Abby Zwerner $10 million in a civil lawsuit against a former school administrator. Zwerner was shot by a six-year-old student in her first-grade classroom in January 2023 after the administrator allegedly ignored warnings that the child had a gun at school. Zwerner suffered severe injuries and has undergone multiple surgeries. The mother of the child was sentenced to four years in prison, but the child faced no charges. The case has sparked discussions about gun safety and the need for stricter regulations on firearm storage in homes.
News Article:
Virginia Jury Awards $10 Million to Teacher Shot by 6-Year-Old Student
NEWPORT NEWS, VA – A Virginia jury has awarded $10 million to Abby Zwerner, a former first-grade teacher who was shot and severely injured by a six-year-old student in January 2023. The verdict came in a civil lawsuit against Ebony Parker, a former assistant principal at Richneck Elementary School, who Zwerner alleged ignored multiple warnings that the child had a gun on school grounds.
Zwerner, 28, sustained life-threatening injuries when the student shot her in her classroom. The bullet narrowly missed her heart and remains in her chest. She has undergone six surgeries and has not regained full use of her left hand.
The lawsuit claimed that Parker failed to act on several warnings from school staff that the student possessed a gun in his backpack. Zwerner’s lawyer, Diane Toscano, stated the verdict “was wrong and is not going to be tolerated, that safety has to be the first concern at school.”
Parker did not testify in the lawsuit. The child’s mother was previously sentenced to four years in prison for child neglect and firearms charges. The child obtained the gun from his mother’s purse.
The case has reignited the debate over gun safety and the storage of firearms in homes, particularly those with children. Advocacy groups are calling for stricter regulations to prevent similar tragedies. While accidental shootings involving young children and unsecured firearms are common in the U.S., school shootings by children under 10 are rare.
Zwerner no longer works for the school district and has become a licensed cosmetologist.
First Piper 