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Graphic Content Warning: This article includes police body-camera footage from the aftermath of a school shooting.
Former Virginia teacher Abby Zwerner testified Tuesday that the 6-year-old student who shot her inside a first-grade classroom had been acting “defiant” and displaying troubling behavior in the days and hours leading up to the attack.
“I saw this student looking at me,” she testified. “I looked over, the gun was pointed right at me, and then I was shot.”
Zwerner took the stand in Newport News during the criminal trial of former Richneck Elementary School assistant principal Ebony Parker, who faces eight felony child neglect charges tied to the Jan. 6, 2023, shooting. Parker has pleaded not guilty.
During emotional testimony, Zwerner described a series of warning signs involving the student, identified in court as “JT,” before he pulled out a handgun and shot her while classmates sat nearby.
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She told jurors the student had already displayed aggressive behavior earlier that week, including an incident in which he grabbed and smashed her cellphone during reading-group time.
Zwerner testified the child appeared “very defiant” before breaking the phone and had what she described as a “challenging face.”
The student was absent the following day but returned to school on Jan. 6, the day of the shooting.
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Zwerner testified that throughout the morning she became increasingly concerned about his behavior. She said the child seemed “off already that day” and appeared “violent.”
At lunch, Zwerner testified she observed the student staring intensely at her and a security officer in the cafeteria, which she said stood out to her as unusual behavior.
“I witnessed the student staring her down, very focused on her,” Zwerner testified.
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She also told jurors she later saw the child outside at recess wearing an oversized jacket with both hands kept inside his pockets the entire time.
Prosecutors repeatedly questioned Zwerner about whether she relayed concerns to school administrators, including Parker.
Much of Tuesday’s testimony centered on what information Zwerner shared with administration before the shooting.
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At several points, defense attorneys objected on hearsay grounds as prosecutors attempted to introduce testimony about reports that the student may have had a gun.
The judge allowed much of the testimony, ruling the statements were not being offered to prove the child had a firearm, but rather to establish what school officials had been told and what they knew before the shooting occurred.
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Prosecutors allege Parker ignored repeated warnings from staff members that the student could be armed and failed to take action to protect students and employees.
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Defense attorneys, meanwhile, sought to shift responsibility during cross-examination by questioning why Zwerner herself did not remove the child from the classroom or call police after becoming concerned he may have had a gun.
Attorney James Ellenson repeatedly pressed Zwerner on whether she personally separated the student from classmates or prevented him from returning to the classroom after recess.
“You allowed him to return to your classroom with other students, is that correct?” Ellenson asked.
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“Yes,” Zwerner responded.
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Ellenson also asked whether the “first responsibility to protect the students in the classroom” belonged to her as the teacher. Zwerner agreed.
When pressed about what actions she personally took to protect students, Zwerner answered: “I trusted my colleagues.”
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Zwerner later recounted the moment the shooting happened.
She testified she was leading a small-group lesson when she saw the child point a gun directly at her.
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The bullet traveled through her left hand and into her chest, she said.
Zwerner testified several students were nearby at the time of the shooting, including children sitting close to the student.
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After being shot, she said her immediate concern was getting students safely out of the classroom.
“I hoped the children were getting out of the classroom,” she said.
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Prosecutors brought one felony count for each of the eight bullets loaded in the gun. If convicted, Parker could face up to five years in prison on each count.
The charges allege Parker “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,” according to court documents.
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