Judge dismisses charges against Ebony Parker in Richneck shooting case

A Virginia Circuit Court judge dismissed eight felony counts of child abuse and disregard for life against Ebony Parker, the former assistant principal at Richneck Elementary, after prosecutors failed to prove the conduct criminal. The charges were dismissed with prejudice, meaning they cannot be retried. Parker faced the eight counts tied to warnings that a 6-year-old student had a gun before he shot first-grade teacher Abby Zwerner; Zwerner survived. The boy’s mother, Deja Taylor, pleaded guilty to state felony child neglect and federal gun charges in the incident, and Parker had pursued an appeal in a related civil suit in which Zwerner was awarded $10 million. Prosecutors have said the boy will not be charged criminally.