Charges dismissed against official at school where six-year-old shot teacher

The child fired a single shot at a teacher, who had to have surgery after the incident in 2023. Charges dismissed against official at school where six-year-old shot teacher Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. The child shot his teacher at Richneck Elementary School in Virginia in 2023 Exterior of Richneck Elementary School in Virginia A judge in the US state of Virginia has dismissed charges against a former assistant principal at a school where a six-year-old shot his teacher during class. Ebony Parker faced felony child abuse charges for allegedly ignoring warnings that the first grade student at her elementary school had a gun. Her defence team argued the state had not made its case against Parker, and Circuit Court Judge Rebecca Robinson agreed, striking down all eight counts including disregard for life. Dressed in a checked blazer in court, Parker sobbed and put her head on the defendant's table as the judge dismissed the charges against her. "What happened that day was awful," Robinson said from the bench. In January 2023, the child fired a single shot at teacher Abigail Zwerner, who had to have surgery after a single bullet went through her hand and struck her in the chest. Zwerner was awarded $10m (£7.5m) in a lawsuit she filed against Parker after the shooting. The lawsuit claimed that the then assistant principal ignored at least three warnings that the child had a gun in school on the day of the January 2023 incident, which took place in the city of Newport News. In one instance outlined in the lawsuit, Zwerner's lawyers said that she told Parker that the child was in a "violent mood" and had made threats against another child. Parker allegedly "had no response" and refused to "even look up" when concerns about the child were brought to her. Additionally, Parker is accused of ignoring warnings from other staff that the young boy might have brought a gun to school, as well as of rebuffing a request to search his bag. Parker's lawyer argued that she could not have known what would happen, and that Zwerner has exaggerated the extent of her injuries. But a jury sided with the former teacher that Parker's lack of action was an act of gross negligence. The child's mother, 26-year-old Deja Nicole Taylor, was also charged with felony child neglect after the child took her gun to school. She pleaded guilty and was sentenced in December to two years on the state charges, in addition to 21 months on federal gun charges for lying about drug use on the form required to obtain the weapon. After the shooting, investigators found roughly 1oz (28g) of cannabis in Taylor's home. While the drug is legal in many states, including Virginia, it is illegal to own a gun and be an active drug user. The child, who was not charged with any wrongdoing, told police he obtained the firearm by mounting a drawer to reach his mother's handbag on top of a dresser, where the handgun was kept. He is now reportedly in the care of a relative and enrolled at a different school. It comes after the US charged Raúl Castro with murder, the latest move putting pressure on the regime. Vanessa Trump said she underwent a medical procedure and asked the public for privacy while she focuses on her health. Iran publishes a map claiming "armed forces oversight" across more than 22,000 sq km of the waterway. Authorities say the teenage suspects shared a "broad hatred" of multiple religions and racial groups. Security guard Amin Abdullah, one of three killed in the attack, was described as "a shining light". Two teenagers fatally shot three men at an Islamic centre on Monday before taking their own lives, police say. Two teenage attackers fatally shot three men at a mosque in San Diego, California, in a suspected hate crime, before taking their own lives, say police. The alleged attackers were aged 17 and 18 and one left a note containing "generalised hate rhetoric", investigators say.