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Abigail Zwerner testifies she thought she was dead or dying after being shot by 6-year-old student

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https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/abigail-zwerner-testifies-thought-
was-dead-dying-shot-6-year-old-stude-rcna240751

A former Virginia teacher told civil jurors on Thursday she thought she 
was dead or "on my way to heaven" in the moments after she was shot by a 
6-year-old boy at school two years ago.

Abigail Zwerner spoke slowly and at times struggled with her emotions, 
explaining how she was severely injured on Jan. 6, 2023, at Richneck 
Elementary in Newport News.

“I thought I was dying, I thought I had died,” she told the jury of three 
men and six women. “I thought I was on my way to heaven or in heaven. But 
then it all got black.”

The plaintiff’s testimony is at the heart of her $40 million lawsuit 
against former assistant principal Ebony Parker, who allegedly ignored 
several warnings about the boy who shot Zwerner.

The attack was totally preventable had Parker acted on clear signs the boy 
posed a threat, Zwerner said in her civil complaint.

The bullet, fired by the child, tore through Zwerner’s hand before it 
struck her in the chest, where it remains today. A doctor testified 
earlier in the trial that it’d be far more dangerous to remove that round 
than to leave it alone.

To this day, Zwerner said she struggles with basic physical tasks. She 
recalled having lunch recently with her lawyer and failing to open a bag 
of potato chips, after trying to rip it at different angles.

“And I eventually asked you to open it, the same thing with water 
bottles,” Zwerner said.

The psychological scars of the shooting are still fresh and painful, the 
plaintiff said.

She recalled how loved ones had planned to see the movie “Hamilton” before 
breaking down that morning, realizing there’d be scenes of dueling.

“I felt like everything just came over my body,” the educator said. “I 
remember crying a lot, and I remember that afterwards.”

Her family asked what she’d like to do in place of going to that movie.

“I remember saying or telling them ‘nowhere,’ like I can’t go anywhere,” 
Zwerner said. “I just want to stay home. I’m not going anywhere today.”

A Richneck teacher testified this week that she had told the assistant 
principal about the weapon three times after students had tipped her off 
about the boy having a gun in his backpack.

Another teacher testified that she also shared similar information with 
Parker after a different student alerted her about the boy having a gun.

Under cross-examination on Thursday, Parker’s attorney inferred that 
Zwerner herself could or should have taken more decisive action against 
the gun-wielding youngster.

Zwerner testified that another teacher had told her she was going to 
report the child to Parker. At that point, Zwerner said she felt safe 
knowing that a superior was aware of the threat.

“I didn’t [take any other action], honestly didn’t think twice,” she said. 
“It was my understanding that the administration wouldn’t think twice as 
well when alerted about a potential gun in school.”

The defense also showed jurors that Zwerner had reached out to Taylor 
Swift via social media and attended an Eras Tour show in Philadelphia in 
May 2023.

And since the shooting, Zwerner said she’s left teaching, completed 
cosmetology school and hopes to someday go into a new career in beauty.

The defense seeks to show that Zwerner isn’t as physically damaged as she 
claims to be. Under re-direct examination, Zwerner said she’s working 
part-time at a gymnasium.

“I had to start feeling like a person again,” Zwerner said.

The educator told NBC’s “TODAY” show, three months after the shooting, 
that the attack left her with permanent emotional wounds.

“I’m not sure when the shock will ever go away because of just how surreal 
it was and, you know, the vivid memories that I have of that day,” Zwerner 
said at the time. “I think about it daily. Sometimes I have nightmares.”

When Zwerner originally filed her civil complaint, Parker, the school 
district and several other administrators were named as defendants. The 
case was eventually whittled down to Parker as the lone defendant.

On paper, any civil verdict against Parker would be paid by the Virginia 
Risk Sharing Association, an insurance pool made up of many public bodies 
statewide, including the Newport News School Board.


-- 
November 5, 2024 - Congratulations President Donald Trump.  We look 
forward to America being great again.

We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that 
stupid people won't be offended.

Every day is an IQ test. Some pass, some, not so much.

Thank you for cleaning up the disasters of the 2008-2017, 2020-2024 Obama 
/ Biden / Harris fiascos, President Trump.

Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the 
The World According To Garp.  Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood 
queer liberal democrat donors.

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Abigail Zwerner testifies she thought she was dead or dying after being shot by 6-year-old student "Leroy N. Soetoro" <leroysoetoro@americans-first.com> - 2025-11-08 22:57 +0000

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