Judge dismisses charges against ex-administrator accused after student shot teacher

A judge on Thursday dismissed all charges against a former school administrator. ignoring repeated warnings He said a 6-year-old boy was carrying a gun hours before his teacher was shot.

Acting on a defense motion, District Judge Rebecca Robinson in Newport News, Virginia, issued the verdict on the fourth day of the trial of Ebony Parker, who is accused of eight counts of gross child neglect.

“The court is of the opinion that legally this is not a crime,” Robinson said.

The former assistant principal was charged in the January 2023 shooting at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News that injured teacher Abby Zwerner. Prosecutors had stated that the charges were for each bullet found in the gun. Zwerner ‘s class. Each crime could have carried a maximum sentence of five years in prison upon conviction.

Special prosecutor Josh Jenkins did not immediately respond to an email and phone message left at his office Thursday.

Parker’s decision on the day of the shooting “was not an act of negligence,” defense attorney Curtis Rogers told the judge in his motion.

“His actions did not in any way indicate that he believed the child had a firearm,” Rogers said.

Another defense attorney, Stephen Teague, said outside court: “We believe the correct outcome was reached and we are very excited for Dr. Parker. This is a huge relief for him and we are happy to be a part of his journey.”

Parker was not called to testify during the hearing. On Wednesday, a video interview of Parker conducted three days after the shooting by a school district human resources officer was played in the courtroom for the jury.

Parker said he was notified that the student had a gun in his backpack, but was unable to leave his office due to ongoing testing. A reading specialist who first reported the concerns later searched the backpack, but no gun was found, Parker said.

Parker then said the student’s mother would come pick him up and go through the rest of his belongings.

Zwerner testified earlier in the hearing that the student wore a large jacket during recess on the school grounds and kept both hands in his pockets the entire time. Zwerner said that he sent a text message with this observation to the reading specialist, who was previously informed about the gun by the students, and reported the situation to Parker.

After recess, the student continued to wear the jacket in the classroom where Zwerner was shot at the reading table. Zwerner spent almost two weeks in the hospitalHe has had six surgeries and cannot fully use his left hand. A bullet narrowly missed his heart and remained in his chest.

Criminal charges against school officials following a school shooting are extremely rare, experts say. The conflict sent shock waves through the military shipbuilding community and the country at large; Many people were wondering about this. How can such a small child he can access the gun and shoot his teacher.

A. The jury awarded $10 million Last November, Zwerner was sued in the civil case in which Parker, who no longer works at the school, was the sole defendant.

Student’s mother was sentenced to nearly 4 years in prison severe child neglect And federal gun charges.