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The top photos of the day by AP's photojournalists

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The top photos of the day by AP's photojournalists
News

News

The top photos of the day by AP's photojournalists

2026-04-21 15:47 Last Updated At:15:50

From front-page news to powerful moments you may have missed, this gallery showcases today’s top photos chosen by Associated Press photo editors.

Pope Leo XIV listens to a girl as he arrives at the Parish of Our Lady of Fatima in Luanda, Angola, for a meeting with bishops, priests, consecrated men and women, and pastoral workers Monday, April 20, 2026, on the eighth day of an 11-day apostolic journey to Africa (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Leo XIV listens to a girl as he arrives at the Parish of Our Lady of Fatima in Luanda, Angola, for a meeting with bishops, priests, consecrated men and women, and pastoral workers Monday, April 20, 2026, on the eighth day of an 11-day apostolic journey to Africa (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Men fish smelt fish (named locally as koryushka) known as a special local delicacy, famous for its "cucumber" smell, which passes in April from the Baltic Sea to Lake Ladoga via St. Petersburg to spawn, in St. Petersburg, Russia, Monday, April 20, 2026, with a highway bridge in the background. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

Men fish smelt fish (named locally as koryushka) known as a special local delicacy, famous for its "cucumber" smell, which passes in April from the Baltic Sea to Lake Ladoga via St. Petersburg to spawn, in St. Petersburg, Russia, Monday, April 20, 2026, with a highway bridge in the background. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

A woman talks on her cellphone as she walks past a billboard showing Rais Ali Delvari, a national hero in an early 1900 uprising against British forces in southern Iran in the Persian Gulf, right, and the late Revolutionary Guard's navy chief Alireza Tangsiri, who was killed in the U.S.-Israeli strike in late March 2026, commanding the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, on a building at a square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A woman talks on her cellphone as she walks past a billboard showing Rais Ali Delvari, a national hero in an early 1900 uprising against British forces in southern Iran in the Persian Gulf, right, and the late Revolutionary Guard's navy chief Alireza Tangsiri, who was killed in the U.S.-Israeli strike in late March 2026, commanding the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, on a building at a square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Israeli soldiers and relatives visit a military cemetery ahead of the annual Memorial Day honoring fallen soldiers and victims of nationalistic attacks in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

Israeli soldiers and relatives visit a military cemetery ahead of the annual Memorial Day honoring fallen soldiers and victims of nationalistic attacks in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

David Anthony Burke, whose stage name is D4vd, is arraigned Monday, April 20, 2026, in Los Angeles on charges of killing a 14-year-old girl whose dismembered body was found in his car. (Ted Soqui/Pool Photo via AP)

David Anthony Burke, whose stage name is D4vd, is arraigned Monday, April 20, 2026, in Los Angeles on charges of killing a 14-year-old girl whose dismembered body was found in his car. (Ted Soqui/Pool Photo via AP)

People walk through the gate of the Nazi concentration camp bearing the inscription "Arbeit macht frei" as they arrive for the remembrance ceremony marking the 81st anniversary of the camp's liberation, in Oranienburg, Germany, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

People walk through the gate of the Nazi concentration camp bearing the inscription "Arbeit macht frei" as they arrive for the remembrance ceremony marking the 81st anniversary of the camp's liberation, in Oranienburg, Germany, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

State Deserter Response Force (SDRF) personnel travel on a boat headed to rescue affected people after a pre monsoon heavy rain on a flooded road in Guwahati, India, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

State Deserter Response Force (SDRF) personnel travel on a boat headed to rescue affected people after a pre monsoon heavy rain on a flooded road in Guwahati, India, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

A boy holds his school book found amongst the rubble of a destroyed building, following a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

A boy holds his school book found amongst the rubble of a destroyed building, following a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

A minibus drives past an empty checkpoint where a mannequin dressed as a soldier stands in downtown Khartoum, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

A minibus drives past an empty checkpoint where a mannequin dressed as a soldier stands in downtown Khartoum, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Manchester City's Erling Haaland heads the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and and Arsenal, in Manchester, England, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Manchester City's Erling Haaland heads the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and and Arsenal, in Manchester, England, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

France's Arthur Fils jumps in the pool after his victory against Russia's Andrey Rublev in the ATP Barcelona Open tennis final in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

France's Arthur Fils jumps in the pool after his victory against Russia's Andrey Rublev in the ATP Barcelona Open tennis final in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Former President Barack Obama and Mayor Zohran Mamdani sing "Wheels on the Bus" to children at Learning Through Play Pre-K in the Bronx in New York, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

Former President Barack Obama and Mayor Zohran Mamdani sing "Wheels on the Bus" to children at Learning Through Play Pre-K in the Bronx in New York, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

Palestinian youth play while swimming in a port basin in Gaza City, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Palestinian youth play while swimming in a port basin in Gaza City, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

People comfort each other outside the scene of a mass shooting, Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Shreveport, La. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

People comfort each other outside the scene of a mass shooting, Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Shreveport, La. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

The sun sets behind St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral located on Kronstadt Island in the Gulf of Finland, outside St. Petersburg, Russia, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

The sun sets behind St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral located on Kronstadt Island in the Gulf of Finland, outside St. Petersburg, Russia, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

The sun rises behind a tanker anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Qeshm Island, Iran, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Asghar Besharati)

The sun rises behind a tanker anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Qeshm Island, Iran, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Asghar Besharati)

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men and children pray at the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray, in the Old City of Jerusalem, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men and children pray at the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray, in the Old City of Jerusalem, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Displaced people cross a destroyed bridge as they return to their villages, following a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, in Tayr Felsay village, southern Lebanon, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Displaced people cross a destroyed bridge as they return to their villages, following a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, in Tayr Felsay village, southern Lebanon, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

A robot starts off for the Beijing E-Town Half Marathon and Humanoid Half Marathon on the outskirts of Beijing on Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

A robot starts off for the Beijing E-Town Half Marathon and Humanoid Half Marathon on the outskirts of Beijing on Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

River Plate fans ride a bus followed by motorcycles on their way to the stadium for an Argentine league match against Boca Juniors in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

River Plate fans ride a bus followed by motorcycles on their way to the stadium for an Argentine league match against Boca Juniors in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A Kashmiri Muslim pilgrim, in white, is given a farewell hug by her relative as she leaves for the annual hajj pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, in Srinagar, Indian-controlled Kashmir, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

A Kashmiri Muslim pilgrim, in white, is given a farewell hug by her relative as she leaves for the annual hajj pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, in Srinagar, Indian-controlled Kashmir, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Faithful wait for Pope Leo XIV at Yaounde Ville Airport, Cameroon, Saturday, April 18, 2026 on the sifth day of his 11-day pastoral visit to Africa. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Faithful wait for Pope Leo XIV at Yaounde Ville Airport, Cameroon, Saturday, April 18, 2026 on the sifth day of his 11-day pastoral visit to Africa. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Two girls chant slogans as one holds an image of the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Friday, April 17, 2026, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Two girls chant slogans as one holds an image of the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Friday, April 17, 2026, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Barber Mohammad Mehdi cuts the hair of his client Ayman Al Zein inside his shop, which was damaged in an Israeli airstrike that also damaged Al Zein's shop, in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Barber Mohammad Mehdi cuts the hair of his client Ayman Al Zein inside his shop, which was damaged in an Israeli airstrike that also damaged Al Zein's shop, in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

A woman member of the Basij paramilitary, affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guard, holds her gun during a state-organized rally in support of the supreme leader marking National Girl's Day in Tehran, Iran, Friday, April 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A woman member of the Basij paramilitary, affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guard, holds her gun during a state-organized rally in support of the supreme leader marking National Girl's Day in Tehran, Iran, Friday, April 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

More Images
Pope Leo XIV listens to a girl as he arrives at the Parish of Our Lady of Fatima in Luanda, Angola, for a meeting with bishops, priests, consecrated men and women, and pastoral workers Monday, April 20, 2026, on the eighth day of an 11-day apostolic journey to Africa (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Leo XIV listens to a girl as he arrives at the Parish of Our Lady of Fatima in Luanda, Angola, for a meeting with bishops, priests, consecrated men and women, and pastoral workers Monday, April 20, 2026, on the eighth day of an 11-day apostolic journey to Africa (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Men fish smelt fish (named locally as koryushka) known as a special local delicacy, famous for its "cucumber" smell, which passes in April from the Baltic Sea to Lake Ladoga via St. Petersburg to spawn, in St. Petersburg, Russia, Monday, April 20, 2026, with a highway bridge in the background. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

Men fish smelt fish (named locally as koryushka) known as a special local delicacy, famous for its "cucumber" smell, which passes in April from the Baltic Sea to Lake Ladoga via St. Petersburg to spawn, in St. Petersburg, Russia, Monday, April 20, 2026, with a highway bridge in the background. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

A woman talks on her cellphone as she walks past a billboard showing Rais Ali Delvari, a national hero in an early 1900 uprising against British forces in southern Iran in the Persian Gulf, right, and the late Revolutionary Guard's navy chief Alireza Tangsiri, who was killed in the U.S.-Israeli strike in late March 2026, commanding the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, on a building at a square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A woman talks on her cellphone as she walks past a billboard showing Rais Ali Delvari, a national hero in an early 1900 uprising against British forces in southern Iran in the Persian Gulf, right, and the late Revolutionary Guard's navy chief Alireza Tangsiri, who was killed in the U.S.-Israeli strike in late March 2026, commanding the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, on a building at a square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Israeli soldiers and relatives visit a military cemetery ahead of the annual Memorial Day honoring fallen soldiers and victims of nationalistic attacks in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

Israeli soldiers and relatives visit a military cemetery ahead of the annual Memorial Day honoring fallen soldiers and victims of nationalistic attacks in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

David Anthony Burke, whose stage name is D4vd, is arraigned Monday, April 20, 2026, in Los Angeles on charges of killing a 14-year-old girl whose dismembered body was found in his car. (Ted Soqui/Pool Photo via AP)

David Anthony Burke, whose stage name is D4vd, is arraigned Monday, April 20, 2026, in Los Angeles on charges of killing a 14-year-old girl whose dismembered body was found in his car. (Ted Soqui/Pool Photo via AP)

People walk through the gate of the Nazi concentration camp bearing the inscription "Arbeit macht frei" as they arrive for the remembrance ceremony marking the 81st anniversary of the camp's liberation, in Oranienburg, Germany, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

People walk through the gate of the Nazi concentration camp bearing the inscription "Arbeit macht frei" as they arrive for the remembrance ceremony marking the 81st anniversary of the camp's liberation, in Oranienburg, Germany, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

State Deserter Response Force (SDRF) personnel travel on a boat headed to rescue affected people after a pre monsoon heavy rain on a flooded road in Guwahati, India, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

State Deserter Response Force (SDRF) personnel travel on a boat headed to rescue affected people after a pre monsoon heavy rain on a flooded road in Guwahati, India, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

A boy holds his school book found amongst the rubble of a destroyed building, following a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

A boy holds his school book found amongst the rubble of a destroyed building, following a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

A minibus drives past an empty checkpoint where a mannequin dressed as a soldier stands in downtown Khartoum, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

A minibus drives past an empty checkpoint where a mannequin dressed as a soldier stands in downtown Khartoum, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Manchester City's Erling Haaland heads the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and and Arsenal, in Manchester, England, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Manchester City's Erling Haaland heads the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and and Arsenal, in Manchester, England, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

France's Arthur Fils jumps in the pool after his victory against Russia's Andrey Rublev in the ATP Barcelona Open tennis final in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

France's Arthur Fils jumps in the pool after his victory against Russia's Andrey Rublev in the ATP Barcelona Open tennis final in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Former President Barack Obama and Mayor Zohran Mamdani sing "Wheels on the Bus" to children at Learning Through Play Pre-K in the Bronx in New York, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

Former President Barack Obama and Mayor Zohran Mamdani sing "Wheels on the Bus" to children at Learning Through Play Pre-K in the Bronx in New York, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

Palestinian youth play while swimming in a port basin in Gaza City, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Palestinian youth play while swimming in a port basin in Gaza City, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

People comfort each other outside the scene of a mass shooting, Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Shreveport, La. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

People comfort each other outside the scene of a mass shooting, Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Shreveport, La. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

The sun sets behind St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral located on Kronstadt Island in the Gulf of Finland, outside St. Petersburg, Russia, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

The sun sets behind St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral located on Kronstadt Island in the Gulf of Finland, outside St. Petersburg, Russia, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

The sun rises behind a tanker anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Qeshm Island, Iran, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Asghar Besharati)

The sun rises behind a tanker anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Qeshm Island, Iran, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Asghar Besharati)

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men and children pray at the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray, in the Old City of Jerusalem, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men and children pray at the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray, in the Old City of Jerusalem, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Displaced people cross a destroyed bridge as they return to their villages, following a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, in Tayr Felsay village, southern Lebanon, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Displaced people cross a destroyed bridge as they return to their villages, following a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, in Tayr Felsay village, southern Lebanon, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

A robot starts off for the Beijing E-Town Half Marathon and Humanoid Half Marathon on the outskirts of Beijing on Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

A robot starts off for the Beijing E-Town Half Marathon and Humanoid Half Marathon on the outskirts of Beijing on Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

River Plate fans ride a bus followed by motorcycles on their way to the stadium for an Argentine league match against Boca Juniors in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

River Plate fans ride a bus followed by motorcycles on their way to the stadium for an Argentine league match against Boca Juniors in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A Kashmiri Muslim pilgrim, in white, is given a farewell hug by her relative as she leaves for the annual hajj pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, in Srinagar, Indian-controlled Kashmir, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

A Kashmiri Muslim pilgrim, in white, is given a farewell hug by her relative as she leaves for the annual hajj pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, in Srinagar, Indian-controlled Kashmir, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Faithful wait for Pope Leo XIV at Yaounde Ville Airport, Cameroon, Saturday, April 18, 2026 on the sifth day of his 11-day pastoral visit to Africa. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Faithful wait for Pope Leo XIV at Yaounde Ville Airport, Cameroon, Saturday, April 18, 2026 on the sifth day of his 11-day pastoral visit to Africa. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Two girls chant slogans as one holds an image of the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Friday, April 17, 2026, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Two girls chant slogans as one holds an image of the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Friday, April 17, 2026, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Barber Mohammad Mehdi cuts the hair of his client Ayman Al Zein inside his shop, which was damaged in an Israeli airstrike that also damaged Al Zein's shop, in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Barber Mohammad Mehdi cuts the hair of his client Ayman Al Zein inside his shop, which was damaged in an Israeli airstrike that also damaged Al Zein's shop, in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

A woman member of the Basij paramilitary, affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guard, holds her gun during a state-organized rally in support of the supreme leader marking National Girl's Day in Tehran, Iran, Friday, April 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A woman member of the Basij paramilitary, affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guard, holds her gun during a state-organized rally in support of the supreme leader marking National Girl's Day in Tehran, Iran, Friday, April 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — Jury selection began Monday in the trial of a former assistant principal in Virginia accused of ignoring warnings that a 6-year-old student brought a loaded gun to school that was later used to shoot his first grade teacher.

Ebony Parker is charged with eight counts of felony child neglect, one for each of the bullets in the gun brought into Richneck Elementary schoolteacher Abby Zwerner 's classroom in Newport News in January 2023, prosecutors have said. Each count carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison upon conviction.

The charges allege Parker “did commit a willful act or omission in the care of such students, in a manner so gross, wanton and culpable as to show a reckless disregard for human life,” according to court documents.

Parker's attorneys were in court Monday morning and could not be reached for comment about her defense. But her attorneys in a civil trial last year argued that the shooting was “unforeseeable.” They argued Parker did not have a legal duty to protect Zwerner and told the jury in that case "the law requires you to examine people’s decisions at the time they make them.”

Criminal charges against school officials after a school shooting are quite rare, experts say. The shooting sent shock waves through this military shipbuilding community and the country at large, with many wondering how a child so young could gain access to a gun and shoot his teacher.

Last November, a jury awarded $10 million to Zwerner, siding with her claims in a lawsuit that Parker ignored repeated warnings that the child had a gun.

Zwerner was shot as she sat at a reading table in her classroom. She spent nearly two weeks in the hospital, required six surgeries and does not have the full use of her left hand. A bullet narrowly missed her heart and remains in her chest.

Parker was the only defendant in the lawsuit. A judge previously dismissed the district’s superintendent and the school principal as defendants.

The lawsuit said Parker had a duty to protect Zwerner and others from harm after being told about the gun. Zwerner’s attorneys said Parker failed to act in the hours before the shooting after several school staff members told her that the student had a gun in his backpack.

Zwerner testified she first heard about the gun from a reading specialist who had been tipped off by students. The shooting occurred a few hours later. Despite her injuries, Zwerner was able to hustle her students out of the classroom. She eventually passed out in the school office.

Zwerner is scheduled to testify in the criminal case, according to court records.

The student’s mother was sentenced to nearly four years in prison for felony child neglect and federal weapons charges. Her son told authorities he climbed to the top of a dresser to retrieve the gun from his mother's purse.

FILE - Former Richneck Elementary School assistant principal Ebony Parker looks back into the courtroom during Abby Zwerner's lawsuit against her on Oct. 28, 2025, in Newport News, Va. (Stephen M. Katz/The Virginian-Pilot via AP, Pool, File)

FILE - Former Richneck Elementary School assistant principal Ebony Parker looks back into the courtroom during Abby Zwerner's lawsuit against her on Oct. 28, 2025, in Newport News, Va. (Stephen M. Katz/The Virginian-Pilot via AP, Pool, File)

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