Jury selection began Monday in Newport News, Virginia, in the criminal trial of former assistant principal Ebony Parker, who is accused of ignoring multiple warnings that a 6-year-old student had brought a loaded gun to Richneck Elementary School before he shot his first-grade teacher, Abby Zwerner, in January 2023. Parker faces eight counts of felony child neglect — one for each bullet in the weapon — with each charge carrying up to five years in prison, and prosecutors allege she showed reckless disregard for human life by failing to act despite being alerted by several staff members. The case is notable because criminal charges against school officials following a school shooting are extremely rare; Zwerner, who survived six surgeries and retains a bullet near her heart, was also awarded $10 million in a separate civil verdict against Parker last year.