Abby Zwerner, the former Virginia elementary school teacher who was shot by a 6-year-old student in January 2023, has not returned to teaching. Instead, she has pursued a different career and become a licensed cosmetologist while continuing to deal with the physical injuries and emotional trauma caused by the shooting.
Her case attracted renewed national attention in November 2025 when a jury awarded her $10 million in a civil lawsuit against former assistant principal Ebony Parker. The verdict came nearly three years after the classroom shooting at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia.
Although the legal decision represented a significant development, Zwerner has explained that her injuries continue to affect ordinary activities. She has undergone multiple surgeries, experiences difficulties using her left hand and has spoken about the anxiety that prevents her from returning to the profession she once loved.
Who Is Abby Zwerner?
Abby Zwerner is a former first-grade teacher who became nationally known after surviving a shooting inside her classroom.
She was 25 years old when the incident occurred on January 6, 2023.
At the time, Zwerner worked at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia. Teaching was the career she had studied for and wanted to pursue.
She previously described the excitement of entering her own classroom for the first time, remembering how rewarding it felt to finally begin the profession she had worked toward.
That experience made the shooting particularly devastating.
Zwerner had expected to spend her career helping young children learn. Instead, an act of violence inside her classroom permanently changed her professional and personal life.
What Happened to Abby Zwerner?
On January 6, 2023, Zwerner was teaching her first-grade students when a 6-year-old boy brought a handgun into the classroom and shot her.
The bullet passed through her left hand before entering her chest.
The injury was extremely serious and caused one of her lungs to collapse.
Despite being wounded, Zwerner managed to help her students leave the classroom before seeking assistance.
She eventually reached the school office, where she lost consciousness.
Her actions during those moments became an important part of the public response to the incident. Even while seriously injured, she focused on getting the children away from danger.
Zwerner later described remembering the student pointing the weapon toward her.
She also recalled moments of confusion and fear as she lost consciousness and struggled to understand the severity of her injuries.
How Did the Student Get the Gun?
Investigators determined that the handgun used in the shooting belonged to the child’s mother, Deja Taylor.
The weapon was a 9-millimeter handgun that the boy had taken from his family’s home.
According to investigative accounts, the child reached the firearm after climbing onto furniture to access a purse stored on top of a dresser.
Taylor maintained that the gun had been secured with a trigger lock, although investigators did not recover such a lock.
The incident raised serious questions about firearm storage, parental responsibility and school safety.
It also prompted scrutiny of what school officials knew before the shooting and whether the situation could have been prevented.
Were There Warning Signs Before the Shooting?
One of the central issues in Zwerner’s lawsuit involved warnings about the student’s behavior before the incident.
According to her legal claims, the child had previously demonstrated aggressive behavior toward teachers and other students.
Zwerner also alleged that she had informed assistant principal Ebony Parker that the student appeared to be in a violent mood on the morning of the shooting.
Other concerns reportedly arose during the school day about whether the child might have a weapon.
Zwerner’s lawsuit argued that school administrators failed to respond appropriately to the danger.
These allegations became particularly important during the civil trial, where jurors considered whether Parker’s actions contributed to the harm Zwerner suffered.
What Happened to the Student’s Mother?
Deja Taylor faced criminal consequences after her son’s involvement in the shooting.
In November 2023, she received a federal prison sentence of one year and nine months for offenses involving firearm possession while using marijuana and false statements about drug use.
The following month, she was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to felony child neglect.
The sentences were ordered to run consecutively.
Taylor publicly expressed remorse over the incident and apologized for the injuries Zwerner suffered.
She also acknowledged her responsibility as the child’s parent.
The criminal proceedings against Taylor were separate from Zwerner’s civil lawsuit involving school officials.
Was the 6-Year-Old Student Charged?
The child who shot Zwerner was not criminally charged.
Prosecutors explained that Virginia law did not support pursuing an aggravated assault conviction against a child of that age.
His identity has remained protected because he was a minor.
Following the incident, the boy was placed in the care of family members.
In a January 2024 interview, his great-grandfather said the child was attending another school and adjusting to a different environment.
The family also described ordinary childhood interests, including cooking and an interest in learning to ride horses.
The decision not to prosecute the child did not prevent authorities from pursuing criminal charges against adults connected to the incident.
Why Did Abby Zwerner File a Lawsuit?
Zwerner filed a civil lawsuit in April 2023, approximately three months after the shooting.
She initially sought $40 million in damages.
Her lawsuit argued that school officials had failed to protect her despite receiving warnings about the student’s behavior and the possibility that he possessed a weapon.
Former assistant principal Ebony Parker became a central defendant in the case.
Zwerner’s legal team maintained that the incident had caused permanent physical injuries and serious psychological harm.
The lawsuit also emphasized how the shooting affected her ability to work and carry out everyday activities.
For Zwerner, the case was not simply about medical bills. It concerned the circumstances that allowed a dangerous situation to develop inside an elementary school.
How Much Money Did Abby Zwerner Win?
On November 6, 2025, a jury awarded Abby Zwerner $10 million in her civil lawsuit against Ebony Parker.
The amount was lower than the $40 million she had requested, but it represented a substantial jury verdict.
The decision followed testimony about the shooting, the warnings that preceded it and the lasting impact on Zwerner’s life.
However, a jury award does not necessarily mean that the full amount has already been paid.
The collection of damages can depend on subsequent legal proceedings, appeals and other factors.
The verdict nevertheless marked a significant development in Zwerner’s effort to hold school officials accountable for what happened.
How Is Abby Zwerner’s Health Today?
Zwerner has continued to experience physical difficulties since the shooting.
By the time of her civil trial, she had undergone six surgeries related to her injuries.
The bullet that entered her chest was reported to remain lodged in her body.
Her left hand was also seriously damaged, and she has described continuing limitations in its movement and function.
Tasks that many people perform without thinking, such as opening a water bottle or a packet of food, can be difficult for her.
These problems have affected her independence and daily routine.
The shooting also left emotional injuries that have been harder to measure.
Zwerner has spoken about anxiety, fear and post-traumatic stress symptoms that continue to influence her life.
Why Did Abby Zwerner Leave Teaching?
Zwerner has not returned to the classroom since the shooting.
She previously explained that anxiety, post-traumatic stress and fear made returning to teaching extremely difficult.
The decision was especially painful because education had been her chosen profession.
She had completed the necessary studies, prepared for a teaching career and looked forward to working with children.
After the shooting, however, the classroom became connected with a traumatic experience.
Zwerner has described feeling that the career she worked so hard to build was taken away from her.
Her decision to leave teaching reflects the long-term consequences of the incident, rather than a simple change in professional interests.
What Does Abby Zwerner Do for Work Now?
Abby Zwerner has become a licensed cosmetologist.
The career change represents an important new direction after her departure from education.
Cosmetology involves professional beauty services and requires specialized training and licensing.
Although Zwerner has not publicly shared extensive details about her current employment or business plans, obtaining her license shows that she has pursued another professional qualification.
The transition is significant because her injuries and emotional trauma made continuing her previous career difficult.
Moving into cosmetology does not mean that the effects of the shooting have disappeared.
Instead, it represents one way she has begun rebuilding her professional life after an experience that changed her future.
How Has the Shooting Affected Abby Zwerner Emotionally?
The emotional impact of the shooting has remained an important part of Zwerner’s recovery.
She has described the memory of the incident as something that continues to stay with her.
The experience involved more than being physically injured. She was attacked in a place where she expected to be safe while doing a job she loved.
Zwerner has spoken about struggling with fear and wanting to remain at home rather than face situations that increase her anxiety.
These feelings have affected her ability to return to work and resume parts of her former routine.
Her recovery illustrates how the consequences of violence can continue long after the immediate medical emergency has ended.
Where Is Abby Zwerner Now?
Abby Zwerner is rebuilding her life outside the teaching profession after surviving the classroom shooting that made national headlines.
She has become a licensed cosmetologist, although she continues to experience physical limitations and emotional difficulties related to her injuries.
Her $10 million jury verdict in November 2025 was a major development in the legal case surrounding the shooting.
Still, the financial award cannot undo the injuries she suffered or restore the teaching career she had hoped to build.
Zwerner’s story remains a powerful example of the lasting consequences of violence in schools.
Nearly four years after the January 2023 incident, she is moving forward with a different professional path while continuing to manage the effects of a traumatic experience that permanently changed her life.