Disclaimer: 

1. This report is offered so that lessons may be learned and schools made safer. 
2. The information provided is from multiple sources including the Grand Jury Special Report, which is heavily sourced, as well as numerous news outlines and personal accounts. All information has been verified to the best of our ability. However, like all extreme violence events, some things are not verifiable or immediately known. The author of this report welcomes any questions, additions, or suggestions.
3. Warning: graphic information and words. 

 Overview: 

1. The victim, Ms. Abigail Zwerner was a first grade teacher. 



2. Richneck Elementary School is part of the Newport News School District. 
3. The district is located in Virginia and has 41 schools and approximately 26,000 students.
4. Richneck Elementary, at the time of the shooting, had approximately 588 students.
5. There were no police officers (SRO’s) present the day of the shooting.
6. Dr. Ebony Parker was the assistant principal. She resigned 22 days after the shooting.



7. The suspect was 6 years old and had attended kindergarten and first grade at Richneck.
8. He never completed either year.

Kindergarten – Ms. White’s Class (2021-2022):

Documented Behavioral Issues: 

1. Threatened to light a teacher on fire and watch her die.
2. Threw furniture in the classroom during outbursts.
3. Would get in other kids’ faces.
4. When removed by the counselor, he would hit or punch the counselor.
5. Kicked and spit on the teacher assistant.
6. Attempted to whip classmates with his belt.
7. Cursed at staff. 
8. Child bragged about having access to his mother’s marijuana in his mother’s purse and getting high off it (this was reported to Child Protective Services).
9. Choked a teacher until she could not breathe.

   Choking Incident: 

   On September 27, 2021, Ms White, his kindergarten teacher, noticed that he never returned from dumping his breakfast trash in the hallway. She went looking for him and found him talking to the security guard. She tried to take his hand and escort him back to class but he yelled, “No! I don’t want to go back to class” and began to aggressively twist the security guard’s wrist. 

   Because of this behavior, he was taken to the office.

   A little bit later, a counselor returned the child to class and sat him down. White continued to teach.

   At one point White was sitting in a student’s chair and reading to the class. The child approached her from behind and wrapped his arms around her neck and began to choke her so forcefully that she couldn’t breathe.

   A teacher assistant rescued White and the student was again taken to the main office.

   A few hours later, the receptionist returned the child to class and stated, “There are no administrators available to deal with the situation.”

   White immediately went to the main office and filled out an incident referral. She gave it to the principal, Dr. Goodman, and the assistant principal, Dr. Parker.

   Dr. Parker made no comment and Dr. Goodman only said, “Prioritize.”

   A decision was made to send the child back to preschool at a different school. However, the next day a shocked Ms. White found the child back in her classroom eating breakfast.

   White immediately went to see Parker and told her that either she would leave or the child must leave, but the two could not be in the same class together. 

   The child was sent to a different school. 

First Grade – Ms. Zwerner’s Class (2022-2023):

1. The child was placed in Ms. Abigail Zwerner’s first grade class.
2. Upon review, the child did not have any kindergarten records.
3. Dr. Parker stated that the child’s mother, Deja Taylor, had taken him to Chicago for school. This was never verified and no paperwork was provided.
   Even though the child had to be physically removed the previous school year, was not on the same reading level as his peers, and had never completed kindergarten, he was placed in Ms. Zwerner’s first grade class.
4. The child began to exhibit the same aggressive, disruptive, and dangerous behaviors including:
   1. Profanity towards teachers.
   2. Choking other students (at least one student multiple times).
5. On three separate dates at the end of 2022, a behavioral management team met to discuss and implement the SST (Student Success Team) process.
6. From those meetings, the following behavioral modifications were initiated:
1. Short schedule—left after lunch.
2. ADHD medication.
3. Ms. Amy Kovac (reading specialist) spent substantial one-on-one time with child trying to help him get caught up.


WAVY.com

4. An IEP (Individual Education Program) was not implemented.
5. It was not recommended that he attend an alternative school.
6. His mother and/or father were requested to sit in class.

   NOTE:
   It will be discovered later that no background check was conducted on the father or mother before they were permitted to be in close proximity to the other students. The father had a known public criminal record and the mother was suspected of drug use.

   None of the other students’ parents were notified that his parents would regularly be in the same classroom and near their children.

7. December 13, 2022 the SST team agreed that his behavior had improved enough that a parent was no longer required to sit with him in class and that he could attend the entire day instead of going home after lunch.
8. The school returned from Christmas break on January 3, 2023.
9. January 4, 2023 the child became defiant during recess and refused to join a reading group.

   During this time, he grabbed Zwerner’s phone off the table and held it high above his head. He refused to give it back and instead stared her down. He then slammed the phone on the ground, causing the case to fly off and the screen to crack.

   Before the child was sent home for the day, he retrieved his belongings. As he did, he told Zwerner, “I’m never coming back to your room again, you bitch.”

10. January 5, 2023 he was suspended for one day.

January 6, 2023: Day of the Shooting:

1. The student returned to school.
2. No police officers (SRO) was in the building during the shooting.

11:15—11:45
THE FIRST WARNING:

1. The student was taken to lunch.
2. He began to show warning signs of aggression and potential violence.
3. He threatened to beat up a kindergarten student, stared down a security guard, and moved towards the guard like he was ready to pounce.
4. Ms. Zwerner went to see Dr. Parker.

   Parker was sitting at her desk typing and looking at her computer screen.

   Ms. Kovac (reading specialist) was also in the room.

   Zwerner warned Parker that the child was in a violent mood.

   Parker did not respond, look up from her computer, or acknowledge Zwerner.

   After Zwerner left the office to get her students from the cafeteria, Parker stated to Kovac, “Tell her that she can call his mom at any time and she can pick him up early.”

11:45—12:20:
THE SECOND WARNING:

1. Kovac was walking in the hall when 2 students ran up to her saying that the student had a gun in his backpack.
2. Kovac immeditately went to Zwerner’s class.
3. The child was sitting at his desk and his backpack was near his feet.
4. Kovac sat beside him and asked do you have gun?
   He replied, “no”. She asked if she could search his backpack and he said, “No one is going to see it.”
   Kovac sat beside him for approximately 45 minutes but never searched his backpack.
5. Before recess, he asked if he could change his shoes. Kovac said yes and per protocol, left the room to report to Parker.
6. Kovac warned Parker what the 2 students had told her, that the child said no to having a gun and to searching his backpack, and that the child was acting unlike himself. It was normal for him to throw his backpack around but he wasn’t doing that today.
7. Parker said, “I know, I know” and then told Kovac to return to overseeing state testing by 1:00pm.

12:20—12:50 (approximately)
THE THIRD WARNING:

1. The students were lining up for recess when Zwerner saw the child put on a gray oversized hoodie. He then rummaged through his backpack and then put both hands in his hoodie.
2. Zwerner texted Kovac what she had observed and Kovac, without Parker, went to search the child’s backpack but didn’t find anything.
3. Zwerner did not see the child remove his hands from his hoodie until later in the day.
4. Kovac returned to Parker and told her that she had searched his backpack and found nothing. She also reiterated that Zwerner had observed the child put something into his hoodie pockets and was not taking his hands out.
5. Parker replied, “He has little pockets.” Kovac replied that he had a hoodie on.
6. Parker took no further actions.

12:50—1:30 (approximately)
THE FOURTH WARNING:

1. During recess, the child kept running behind a rock wall with another student (friend) from Ms. West’s first grade class. Behind the wall, neither child was visible.
2. Kovac visited the student during recess to check up on him. She called him but he wouldn't come to her.
3. After recess, West called the friend over and asked what they were doing behind the wall. The friend was visibly scared and shaking. He said that the student would hurt him if he told her. West encouraged him to tell and he stated that the student had shown him a gun and bullets.
4. West spoke to the receptionist (John Sims). He told Parker about the student seeing the gun and bullets. Parker responded that the backpack had been searched.
5. West then asked Mr. Rawles, a counselor, to come to her class and talk to the friend. The friend told Rawles that if he said anything the student would hurt him.

1:30—1:40 (approximately)
FIFTH WARNING:

1. Rawles warned Parker that the student had either a gun or bullets.
This was the third person and the fifth time this threat was relayed to Parker. The first warning was made approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes ago.
2. Rawles asked Parker if the backpack or the student had been checked and if he could search the student’s person. Per school policy, principals and security guards may search students and their property when there is reasonable suspicion.
3. Parker stated, “no, hold off, his mom would come pick him up soon.”
4. Rawles went to Zwerner’s class. The student was sitting at his desk by himself and staring into space. Rawles told Zwerner he was not given authorization to search the student.
5. Neither the principal, Ms. Foster, who was reportedly in and out of meetings all day, nor law enforcement (SRO), was ever notified there were sightings of a gun in the school.

1:48
THE ATTACK:

1. Ms. Zwerner was sitting at the reading table. She saw the student turn his whole body towards her and for the first time since before recess, he removed his hands from his hoodie.
2. He pulled out a gun (9mm Taurus pistol) and pointed it at Zwerner. He was less than six feet away.
3. Ms. Zwerner said, “What are you doing with that?”
4. He didn’t answer or show any emotion.
5. Zwerner put her hand up in self-defense. The round went through her left hand and struck her in the chest, collapsing her lung.
6. The student tried to fire again at Zwerner, his expression unchanged, but the gun jammed due to his lack of strength on the grip of the gun. The magazine contained 7 bullets. (NOTE: Some guns require a firm grip when firing or the weapon will not cock back far enough to chamber the next round).
7. Ms. Kovac heard the gun shot. She rushed to Zwerner’s classroom where she saw Ms. Zwerner and could see she was bleeding. The student said, “Fuck you. I shot my teacher.”
8. The firearm was on the ground. Kovac pulled the student away from the gun, sat in a chair, and wrapped her arms around him. She called 911.
9. Fearing for the lives of her students and in spite of her blood pooling at her feet, Ms. Zwerner herded her students to safety into Ms. West’s classroom across the hall.
10. Ms. West locked down her class. She huddled with 45 students. The friend who had seen the gun earlier on the playground said, “I told you. I tried to keep you safe. I told you.”
11. Zwerner stumbled towards the main office.
12. In the main office the principal, Dr. Foster, was in her office with 2 children and Parker was standing outside her door. A grandmother was at the receptionist’s desk and a small boy sat in a chair, his feet dangling. A person rushed in and stated, “Someone’s been shot.” She then ran into Parker’s office.
13. Parker followed the person into her office and closed the door. She did not come out until police arrived.
14. Foster closed her office door.
15. The receptionist, alone with the grandmother and child, called 911 and then used the PA system to initiate a lockdown.
16. The small boy began to cry. The grandmother knocked on the principal’s door saying that there was a small child out here. Neither Parker nor Foster opened their door. Grandmother comforted the boy by telling him that she wouldn’t let anything happen to him. She then squeezed the boy into a tiny spot between the copier and the wall.
17. Zwerner entered the main office and collapsed on the floor in front of Foster’s door, passing out. Foster opened the door, saw Zwerner and shut the door. She told the 2 kids in her office to go to the bathroom and then she remerged from her office.
18. Grandmother applied direct pressure to Zwerner’s chest wound with a rag until the paramedics took over.

2:00pm

1. Law enforcement received the call and deputies arrived at 2:05.
2. They were initially held up for nearly a full minute from entering the school because the door buzzer system was not working. They considered shooting out the glass when a custodian saw them and opened the door for them.
3. Police officers ran to Zwerner’s classroom where they found Kovac holding the student, the gun still on the floor. They secured the gun and asked if Ms. Kovac was okay. The student became agitated and punched Ms. Kovac in the face.
4. Sometime during the event, the student is alleged to have made the following statements: “I did it. I got my mom’s gun last night. I shot that bitch dead.”

2:20—4:00 (approximately)
CONCLUSION:

1. Ms. Zwerner was rushed to the hospital. She has undergone multiple surgeries and has suffered permanent damage to her hand and chest, with bullet fragments remaining in her body.
2. Parents insist that the district did not notify them of the shooting until later in the evening after they were already home with their children. They learned of the shooting via media, social media, community groups, and word of mouth and therefore rushed to the school.
3. Parent reunification lasted several hours.
4. Richneck Elementary School remained closed for two weeks and reopened on January 20, 2023.

AFTERMATH:

1. Because of his age, the 6-year-old student was not charged with a crime but instead was held briefly in a psychiatric facility.
2. Currently, he is reported to be living with his Great Grandfather, a retired drill sergeant, who stated that the child is doing well.
   Great Grandfather stated the following:
   

   He’s attending a new and undisclosed school.

   His grades are good.

   He prays for his mother and hopes she come home safely soon.

   He loves to cook and he makes brownies for his family.

   He hopes to ride a horse one day.

   I’m grateful I get the opportunity to watch him grow up as a young man without a lot of baggage. I’m grateful he understand the egregious mistake he made and that he’s not going to be defined by that mistake.

3. Principal Dr. Foster was removed from her role and reassigned in the school district.
4. Superintendent George Parker III was fired by the school board 19 days after the shooting.

5. Assistant Principal Dr. Parker resigned 22 days after the shooting.
6. Ms. Zwerner filed a $40 million lawsuit against school administrators and is set to go to trial on October 27, 2025
7. The student’s Mother, Deja Taylor was charged with multiple crimes.


She pleaded guilty to federal gun charges for failing to secure the firearm used in the shooting and to state child neglect charges.

She was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for the gun charges and 2 additional years in state prison for child neglect.

NOTE:
Just weeks before her son shot Ms. Zwerner, text messages revealed that Taylor may have used the same gun to shoot at the student’s father after seeing his girlfriend.

Taylor had a rented but not returned a U-Haul truck that had the passenger rear window broken.

No one was injured and the police were not called.

8. Several parents have filed lawsuits.
9. The students, staff, and families of Richneck Elementary continue to struggle:

   The student (friend) who told Ms. West and Mr. Rawles that he had seen the gun suffers from guilt. He believes it was his somehow his fault. His family requested a transfer to another school twice and was twice denied. The parents of the student obtained legal representation and the transfer was approved on the third request.

   Another student requested a transfer and was refused. The mother sold her house, drained her savings account, and moved so her daughter could attend another school. Her daughter was an excellent student but now suffers from feeling disconnected and is below average academically. She is showing signs of PTSD.

   One student when asked about what happened that day, covers his ears and refuses to answer. He is afraid that the student will be back someday and hurt him. His mother is currently in therapy.

   The grandmother struggles to this day with being able to sleep at night.

10. Richneck and Newport News School District were ordered to make numerous and immediate safety improvements.

CRIMINAL CHARGES:

1. On August 8, 2023, Dr. Ebony Parker was arrested and charged with 8 counts of felony child abuse and neglect of children.
2. The grand jury returned a true bill on March 11, 2024 with the following statement:
   Ebony Parker, on or about January 6, 2023, being a person responsible for the care of students under the age of eighteen at Richneck Elementary School, feloniously did commit a willful act or omission in the care of such students, in a manner so gross, wanton and culpable as to show a reckless disregard for human life, in violation of §18.2-371.1(B) of the Code of Virginia (1950) as amended.
   That code section is defined as following:
   Abuse and neglect of children; penalty; abandoned infant. B. Any parent, guardian, or other person responsible for the care of a child under the age of 18 whose willful act or omission or refusal to provide any necessary care for the child's health is so gross, wanton, and culpable as to show a reckless disregard for human life shall be guilty of a Class 6 felony.
3. The 2-day jury trial is set for February 19-20, 2025. If found guilty, she could face up to 40 years in prison.

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