Judge dismisses charges against ex-school official accused of neglect after 6-year-old shot teacher

All charges against Ebony Parker, the previous elementary faculty assistant principal accused of ignoring repeated warnings that a 6-year-old student had a gun hours earlier than the kid ultimately shot and critically wounded his teacher, they had been fired Thursday.

The ruling from Circuit Judge Rebecca Robinson, in Newport News, Virginia, got here on the fourth day of Parker’s trial in response to a movement filed by the protection group for the previous Richneck Elementary School administrator. She was dealing with eight counts of prison baby neglect for her alleged actions across the taking pictures, however Robinson stated Thursday that the court docket “is of the legal opinion that this is not a crime.”

Parker was charged in the January 2023 shooting in Newport News that left teacher Abby Zwerner wounded. Prosecutors had stated the charges had been for every of the bullets within the gun introduced into Zwerner’s classroom. Each depend may have carried a most penalty of 5 years in jail upon conviction.

Special prosecutor Josh Jenkins didn’t instantly return an e-mail and a phone message left at his workplace on Thursday. During opening statements earlier this week, Jenkins had sought to color an image of Parker as dismissive when staff on the faculty approached with issues {that a} gun could have been contained in the 6-year-old’s backpack.

Defense legal professional Curtis Rogers instructed the choose in making his movement that Parker’s choice on the day of the taking pictures “wasn’t an act of neglect.”

“Her actions in no way indicated that she believed there was a firearm in the possession” of the kid, Rogers stated.

Another protection legal professional, Stephen Teague, stated outdoors court docket that “we believe that the right outcome was reached and we’re thrilled for Dr. Parker. It was a great relief for her and we’re just happy that we were part of her journey.”

Parker was not referred to as to testify in the course of the trial. On Wednesday, a video interview of Parker performed three days after the taking pictures by a college district human assets officer was performed within the courtroom for the jury.

Parker stated she was instructed about reviews that the coed had a gun in his backpack, however stated she couldn’t depart her workplace because of ongoing testing. A studying specialist who first reported the issues then searched the backpack, however no gun was discovered, Parker stated.

Parker then stated the coed’s mom would arrive to choose him up and undergo the remaining of his belongings.

Zwerner testified earlier within the trial that in recesses on the college playground, the coed wore an outsized jacket and stored each of his arms in his pockets the whole time. Zwerner stated she despatched a textual content message with that remark to the studying specialist, who had been tipped off earlier by college students concerning the gun and reported it to Parker.

After recess, the coed continued to put on the jacket within the classroom, the place Zwerner was shot at a studying desk. Zwerner spent practically two weeks within the hospital, requiring six surgical procedures and never having the complete use of his left hand. A bullet narrowly missed her coronary heart and stays in her chest.

Criminal charges against faculty officers after a college taking pictures are fairly uncommon, consultants say. The taking pictures despatched shock waves by way of this navy shipbuilding group and the nation at giant, with many questioning how a toddler so younger may achieve entry to a gun and shoot his teacher.

to jury awarded $10 million to Zwerner in a civil trial final November, the place Parker, who now not works on the faculty, was the one defendant.

The scholar’s mom was sentenced to almost 4 years in jail for prison baby neglect and federal weapons charges.