Some headlines read like fiction, but this one is painfully real. Abby Zwerner, the Virginia teacher who was shot by her six-year-old student in 2023, has just won a $10 million payout in her civil case against the school’s former assistant principal, Ebony Parker.
The case has always been about accountability, who looked away, who ignored the signs, and who paid the price. Zwerner’s lawyers argued that Parker was warned several times that the boy might have brought a gun to school that day, yet no one intervened. Forty-five minutes later, Zwerner was shot in front of her first-grade class.
Her injuries were severe: a bullet through her hand and into her chest. She’s had multiple surgeries since and testified that she still struggles with everyday tasks like opening a water bottle. The civil jury’s verdict was a statement — one that said the system failed her, and that failure won’t be quietly brushed aside.
According to reports, Parker’s legal troubles aren’t over. Her criminal trial begins later this month, with eight felony counts of child neglect on the table. If convicted, she could face years in prison.
