Special Grand Jury Issues Report on its Investigation of the Shooting at Richneck Elementary School.
[Newport News, VA April 23, 2025] — Commonwealth’s Attorney Howard Gwynn today responded to misinformation regarding the Special Grand Jury legal process by which former Assistant Principal at Richneck Elementary, Ms. Ebony Parker was charged with eight counts of child neglect. The Special Grand Jury released its report in March of last year.
“I trust the members of the community who made this determination,” Gwynn said. “And our role now is to ensure a full and fair trial that respects the many victims of this crime–including every child who was in the classroom when this shooting occurred–and that also respects the rights of the accused,” Gwynn continued. Prosecutors are not allowed to be in the room when a Special Grand Jury deliberates and determines what, if any, crimes should be charged.
“The charges this office is prosecuting were brought by a Special Grand Jury – eleven citizens selected from our city at random by the Circuit Court. When the Special Grand Jury deliberated to decide on criminal charges, prosecutors were not in the room, because that is exactly what law requires to ensure independence.” Gwynn says that he “trusts and has complete faith in the citizens of this community”, and that this office’s role is now to ensure the criminal case process is properly followed and all rights are respected for all involved.
According to the Special Grand Jury’s report, they undertook an investigation, and over the course of the months they were empaneled, they took testimony from witnesses, subpoenaed and reviewed hundreds of documents and school records, watched hours of video recordings, and reviewed an extensive investigation and report by the Newport News Police Department.
Having reviewed that evidence, the Special Grand Jury found there was probable cause to charge the Assistant Principal with eight counts of child neglect. Consistent with the law, the evidence the Special Grand Jury reviewed has remained sealed due to its potential for use at a trial, but the Special Grand Jury independently drafted and released a report of their findings so that the public would know their reasoning.
The report outlines the Special Grand Jury’s reasons for bringing the charges. Pages 2 through 12 detail the facts as they determined them to be through their investigation. Pages 19 and 20 detail how the Special Grand Jury applied those facts to the law of child neglect and say that they found probable cause and returned these indictments.
The Special Grand Jury wrote its report independently from this office, along with assistance from their own independent legal counsel who had been appointed by the Circuit Court to assist them in the report writing process. “Every citizen who has any question about these charges, should read the full Special Grand Jury report, which continues to be available at the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office website.” Gwynn said.
“The Special Grand Jury considered the evidence from their investigation and determined that there was sufficient evidence to charge Ms. Parker, and they did so. Now, the role of this office is to fairly and faithfully bring those charges to trial, ensuring the rights of all parties are protected. And that’s exactly what we will do.” Gwynn said.
Previous Press Release Below
[April 10, 2024 Newport News, VA] – The Special Grand Jury investigating the January 6, 2023, shooting at Richneck Elementary School has concluded its investigation, releasing a public report and charging former Assistant Principal Ebony Parker with eight counts of Felony Child Neglect, one count for each of the eight bullets that endangered all the students in Ms. Abigal Zwerner’s first grade classroom. The Special Grand Jury’s report catalogs security and administrative failures by Newport News Public Schools, and it makes recommendations for changes to protect students.
“In releasing the Special Grand Jury’s report, we acknowledge the harm inflicted on all the children in Ms. Zwerner’s classroom that day.” Said Commonwealth’s Attorney Howard Gwynn. “We also acknowledge the Special Grand Jury’s recommendations for substantial changes to protect students going forward and note that the school district, now led by Superintendent Dr. Michelle Mitchell, has already started implementing additional safety measures. We thank the members of the Special Grand Jury for their diligent service.”
The Special Grand Jury consisted of eleven members, each a citizen of Newport News. It was empaneled on September 11, 2023, to investigate the shooting at Richneck Elementary School. The Special Grand Jury was empaneled at the request of Commonwealth’s Attorney Howard Gwynn, under Virginia Code § 19.2-206 (A)(iii). They subpoenaed records and heard testimony from nineteen witnesses, including some families whose children witnessed the shooting, school faculty and staff members, district administrators, and law enforcement. They also reviewed evidence including surveillance video, body worn camera footage, and records subpoenaed from school administration.
Consistent with Virginia Code Section 19.2-213, the Grand Jury wrote and filed their report. The culmination of their work included: 1) charging former Assistant Principal Ebony Parker with eight counts of felony child neglect, 2) issuing a public report of their findings and recommendations, and 3) recommending further investigation into the failures to maintain and provide school records to law enforcement. Child Neglect is defined by Virginia Code 18.2-371(B), and it carries a potential sentence of up to 5 years in prison for each count. Consistent with the recommendation from the report, this office will continue investigating whether individuals who worked for the school system obstructed justice. The charges related to Assistant Principal Ebony Parker are now pending matters, and this office will not comment on the facts or evidence to be presented in that case.
See the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Press Conference on the Richneck School Shooting here