UMVA has learned that a former Virginia assistant principal now sits on a courtroom bench, facing eight felony child‑neglect charges after a six‑year‑old student allegedly fired a loaded gun at his first‑grade teacher.
The trial opened in Newport News with jurors selected to weigh whether the administrator ignored clear warnings that the child might be armed. Prosecutors say multiple staff members raised the alarm, yet no decisive action was taken before the tragedy unfolded.
On January 6, 2023, the classroom erupted in chaos as the youngster discharged the weapon while teacher Abby Zwerner was conducting her lesson. The bullet whizzed past her heart, lodged elsewhere, and left her with a shattered left hand after six surgeries and nearly two weeks in the hospital.
Each of the eight bullets loaded in the gun now fuels a separate count, carrying the possibility of up to five years behind bars per charge if a conviction follows.
During the earlier civil case, a jury awarded Zwerner $10 million, finding that the former assistant principal dismissed the concerns that the child might bring a gun to school. That verdict was hailed as a crucial milestone in the teacher’s long journey toward healing.
In the current criminal proceedings, Zwerner is expected to take the stand, offering a harrowing personal account of the day that altered her life forever.
Investigators traced the firearm to the child’s mother’s purse, which the boy accessed after climbing onto a dresser. The mother has already served nearly four years in prison for her role in the incident.
Defense attorneys argue the shooting was unforeseeable and that the administrator bore no legal duty to shield the teacher from such an attack, framing the case as a broader systemic failure rather than a single point of negligence.
