CNN
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After a 6-year-old child allegedly pointed a gun at his teacher and shot her in the chest inside a Virginia elementary school earlier this month, the fallout behind whether the shooting was preventable has widened as school officials leave their posts and the district faces a possible lawsuit.

Dr. Ebony Parker, assistant principal at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, resigned Wednesday, a district spokesperson told CNN.

The resignation came hours before the Newport News school board voted to oust its superintendent, Dr. George Parker III, whose last day is scheduled for February 1. The board has appointed an interim superintendent.

School officials have been facing intense criticism after a 6-year-old student brought his mother’s legally purchased gun to school on January 6 and intentionally shot his first-grade teacher, Abby Zwerner, after an altercation, police have said. The boy also has a disability, his family said.

Frustration over gun violence infiltrating yet another school in the US – as the country endures traumatic shootings nearly every day in commonplaces – was compounded Wednesday when the teacher’s attorney alleged school officials were notified multiple times about the gun’s presence.

“Over the course of a few hours, three different times – three times – school administration was warned by concerned teachers and employees that the boy had a gun on him at the school and was threatening people,” attorney Diane Toscano told reporters during a news conference Wednesday.

As the attorney announced a lawsuit would be filed against the district, she said the administration “failed to act” despite having “knowledge of imminent danger.”

“Abby and these other teachers at Richneck Elementary School tried to do the right thing on January 6,” Toscano said. “But the administration could not be bothered.”

A school district spokesperson declined to comment on the possible lawsuit.

Zwerner, 25, was initially in critical condition and later stabilized before being released from the hospital.

The school has been closed since the shooting, with plans to return Monday. As the first day back looms, a concerned parent said his son is in the student’s class and has been distraught since the shooting.

“This is a scary situation, my son is still scared,” Mark Garcia Sr. told CNN. “He wants to go back to school, but he just wants to know that he’s gonna to be safe, and that’s the biggest thing.”

The school’s alleged failure to act is “horrifying,” Garcia said.

“The people who know about this failed us and they failed the security measures of everyone that’s inside of that school,” he said.

Before the shooting happened inside Zwerner’s first-grade class, there were some warning signs related to the student, the teacher’s attorney alleged in details announced Wednesday.

On January 6 just before 11:30 a.m., Zwerner told an administrator that the 6-year-old had “threatened to beat up another child,” Toscano said. Administration did not remove the student from class or call security, Toscano claimed.

An hour later around 12:30 p.m., another teacher told the administrator she believed the student had put a gun in his pocket and taken it out to recess, Toscano claimed. The administrator allegedly “downplayed” the possibility, Toscano said, responding that the boy had “little pockets.”

Then shortly after 1 p.m., a third teacher told administrators that another child – described by Toscano as “crying and fearful” – had informed the teacher the 6-year-old “showed him the gun at recess and threatened to shoot him if he told anybody.”

A fourth employee then asked the administration for permission to search the boy but was denied, Toscano claimed.

About an hour later, the 6-year-old student allegedly shot Zwerner, the attorney said. CNN has reached out to the school district for comment on Toscano’s claims.

The shooting occurred after an altercation between Zwerner and the student, who pointed the gun at her and fired a single round, Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew said at the time.

No other students were involved and there was no physical fight or struggle, the chief said.

The boy was placed under temporary detention order and was evaluated at a local hospital.

The shooting at Richneck Elementary was the first this year at a US school, according to a CNN analysis. In 2022, there were 60 shootings at K-12 schools, the CNN analysis shows.

The 6-year-old child remains unidentified publicly, but his family has been releasing statements through their attorney.

On Wednesday, the family said they continue to “pray for Ms. Zwerner and wish her a complete and full recovery,” the attorney told CNN in a statement. “Our hearts go out to all involved.”

In an earlier statement, the family said the boy has a disability and was receiving care at the school.

“Our son suffers from an acute disability and was under a care plan at the school that included his mother or father attending school with him and accompanying him to Class every day,” the family statement says.

According to the family, the gun allegedly used was secured before the shooting. A family member usually went to class with him, but not the week of the shooting, they said.

“We will regret our absence on this day for the rest of our lives,” the family statement said.

Notably, the police chief has indicated the boy’s mother could possibly face charges in the shooting.

Under Virginia law, it is a misdemeanor for an adult to leave a loaded, unsecured firearm in such a way that it could endanger a child under the age of 14. It is prohibited for a person to unknowingly allow a child under the age of 12 to use a firearm.