Body cam footage shows aftermath of Newport News school shooting
VENN
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) -- New body camera footage shows the immediate aftermath of the shooting of Newport News teacher Abby Zwerner by a 6-year-old student in her classroom at Richneck Elementary School.
The video, which was shown to jurors during the ongoing civil trial in Newport News, captures paramedics working to save Zwerner's life on the scene. The shooting at the school happened on Jan. 6, 2023. Zwerner filed a $40 million lawsuit, claiming negligence on the part of school officials.
Part of the body camera footage shown in court can be viewed in the video report at the top of this page.
NOTE: The above video is a livestream of Zwerner's civil trial, courtesy of Court TV.
Zwerner's attorneys argue that former assistant principal Ebony Parker was warned about the possibility of the student having a weapon but failed to act appropriately. This claim was part of the arguments presented during the trial.
The trial has seen testimony from various witnesses, including school staff and Zwerner's mother. Witnesses have recounted the events leading up to and following the shooting, with a focus on the actions of school officials.
PREVIOUS: Testimony begins in $40M lawsuit over Richneck Elementary School shooting
On the day of the shooting, several staff members allegedly informed Parker about the potential threat posed by the student. Despite these warnings, Zwerner's team claims that adequate measures were not taken to prevent the incident.
During the trial, the jury has heard from the director of Human Resources and a reading specialist who was among the first responders to the classroom. The testimony is part of Zwerner's effort to establish the school's liability in the case.
Abby Zwerner is expected to testify later this week, providing her account of the events and the impact of the shooting on her life.
All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by WAVY. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by WAVY staff before being published.
