The shooting at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, in January 2023, was unprecedented for its particulars a 6-year-old student intentionally firing a bullet which tore through his first-grade teacher’s hand and lodged in her chest. But the civil trial that followed exposed something even more disturbing multiple adults were warned about the possibility of a gun on campus that day and no decisive action was taken. This week, a jury awarded former teacher Abby Zwerner $10 million in damages, finding that then–assistant principal Ebony Parker acted with gross negligence.
1. A Day of Warnings Ignored
Testimony in the trial revealed Parker received at least three warnings within an hour that the boy might have a gun. A reading specialist testified students heard the weapon was in his backpack, while another teacher testified one saw it in his pocket during recess. Parker reportedly did not take those reports seriously, forbade a guidance counselor from searching the child again, and said his mother would be there to pick him up soon. “A gun changes everything,” Zwerner’s attorney Kevin Biniazan told jurors. “You stop and you investigate.”
2. The Shooting and Its Aftermath
Zwerner was sitting at a reading table when the boy shot. The bullet pierced her left hand and then entered her chest, narrowly missing her heart. She got her class out before collapsing, and later told the court, “I thought I had died.” She has undergone six surgeries that have left her without full use of her hand, and a fragment of the bullet remains near her spine. She has since left teaching and is still recovering physically and emotionally.
3. The Accountability Message from the Jury
After six hours of deliberation, the verdict was clear school safety wasn’t optional-it was a duty. “School safety, teacher safety, children’s safety is the most important thing,” attorney Jeffrey Breit said outside the courthouse. “This verdict reminds people that you will be held accountable if you don’t make that your first concern.”
4. Systemic Failures in School Safety Protocols
This is a failure both at the stage of threat assessment and at the level of response. Nationally, 100 percent of the cases of targeted school violence had warning signs in advance, but without an empowered culture, these are missed. What is needed is effective crisis intervention programs, adequate mental health staffing, and clear authority to take action on credible threats.
5. The Role of Secure Firearm Storage
Police said the boy had brought the gun from home. The mother, Deja Taylor, serving a two-year sentence for child neglect, had served time on federal firearm charges. According to studies, three out of four school shooters under age 18 obtain guns from their home or a relative’s. Secure storage laws and public awareness campaigns-like Be SMART-are proven tools to help prevent such tragedies.
6. Coping with Trauma After School Violence
Trauma from gun violence extends much further than the physical. Survivors, educators, and the community commonly experience post-traumatic stress, hypervigilance, and anxiety. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network also recognized that educators suffer from secondary traumatic stress as an occupational hazard. Recovery includes access to culturally sensitive mental health services, peer support groups, and continued communication strategies.
7. Best Practices for Prevention
Experts recommend a layered approach Safe storage of firearms in the home when children are present Extreme Risk laws to temporarily remove firearms from people who are a threat. Positive school climates in which students trust adults enough to report concerns. Applications could include crisis intervention programs aimed at de-escalating dangerous situations before violence could occur. Appropriate mental health staffing to achieve the recommended 1:500 student to psychologist ratio. The physical security measures include single access points and lockable classroom doors.
8. Why This Case Could Set a Legal Precedent
Few district officials have ever been held civilly and potentially criminally liable for failing to act on credible threats. Parker faces eight felony child abuse charges, one for each bullet in the gun. Legal experts say this trial could influence future accountability standards for administrators in preventing school-based shootings. The case of Richneck Elementary is a grim reminder that vigilance, decisive action, and commitment to safety throughout the community are needed to prevent gun violence in schools.
For concerned parents, educators, and community members, it reinforces that accountability is not just punishment but an assurance that every warning has been taken seriously, every protocol followed, and every child and teacher is protected.
