Por Eric Levenson, CNN

Una jueza de un tribunal de circuito de Virginia desestimó este jueves los cargos penales contra Ebony Parker, la ex subdirectora acusada de ignorar las advertencias de que un niño de 6 años portaba un arma, después de que la defensa argumentara que la Fiscalía no había logrado probar su caso.

“El tribunal es de la opinión jurídica de que esto no constituye un delito”, declaró la jueza del tribunal de circuito Rebecca Robinson.

Parker bajó la cabeza sobre la mesa de la defensa y pareció romper a llorar.

El caso fue desestimado con carácter definitivo —lo que significa que no puede volver a ser llevado a juicio—, según informó un funcionario familiarizado con el fallo.

Los cargos derivan del tiroteo ocurrido en enero de 2023 en la Escuela Primaria Richneck, en Virginia, en el que el niño disparó e hirió a su maestra de primer grado, Abby Zwerner. Ella sobrevivió.

Parker se había declarado no culpable de ocho cargos de delito grave de abuso infantil y desprecio por la vida: uno por cada bala que contenía el arma del niño. Se enfrentaba a una pena de hasta cinco años de prisión por cada cargo.

Los cargos alegaban que ella cometió “un acto u omisión deliberada en el cuidado de dichos estudiantes, de una manera tan grave, temeraria y culpable que demostraba un desprecio imprudente por la vida humana”, según consta en los documentos judiciales.

El juicio penal de Parker es uno de los varios casos ocurridos en los últimos años que han puesto a prueba los límites de la responsabilidad cuando un menor comete un tiroteo en una escuela. Padres en Michigan y Georgia han sido condenados por cargos graves, mientras que los agentes del orden acusados ​​de inacción en Parkland y Uvalde han sido absueltos por jurados.

Parker parece ser la primera educadora escolar en enfrentar un juicio bajo tales circunstancias.

El juicio, que sienta un precedente, comenzó el martes con las declaraciones de apertura; la Fiscalía citó a un total de 16 testigos, entre ellos educadores escolares, agentes del orden y padres de familia.

Varios educadores testificaron haber informado a Parker sobre sus sospechas de que el niño —quien tenía un historial de problemas de conducta— portaba un arma de fuego en la escuela. Según los testimonios, Parker instruyó a un educador para que registrara la mochila del niño, pero desaconsejó registrar sus bolsillos hasta que su madre llegara al centro escolar.

“Solo hubo una persona en la escuela ese día que poseía, simultáneamente, la autoridad para actuar y el conocimiento de la crisis que se estaba desarrollando; y esa persona, como verán, fue la Dra. Parker”, afirmó el fiscal adjunto Josh Jenkins durante las declaraciones de apertura.

En contraposición, la defensa de Parker dio un giro radical al caso y acusó a los maestros —incluida Zwerner— de ser quienes fallaron al no tomar las medidas adecuadas para proteger a los estudiantes.

“Si la Fiscalía pretende acusar a la Dra. Parker, ¿qué hay de esas otras personas que tuvieron contacto directo con este niño?”, planteó el abogado defensor Curtis Rogers.

El pasado mes de noviembre, un jurado civil otorgó a Zwerner una indemnización de US$ 10 millones en el marco de una demanda en la que se alegaba que Parker no actuó ante las inquietudes de que el estudiante había llevado un arma a la escuela. Parker ha presentado un recurso de apelación contra ese fallo.

Según han informado las autoridades, el niño tomó el arma —que no estaba debidamente asegurada— del bolso de su madre y la llevó a la escuela dentro de su mochila. Su madre, Deja Taylor, se declaró culpable de un cargo estatal por delito grave de negligencia infantil, así como de cargos federales relacionados con el uso de armas de fuego en el incidente. Taylor permaneció bajo custodia durante varios años y fue puesta en libertad la semana pasada.

Los f

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By Thomas Schlachter, CNN

(CNN) — Lucky New York City residents will be able to purchase World Cup tickets at a reduced price, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced at a press conference on Thursday.

These 1,000 tickets will be available at $50 each – split across the five group stage games and two knockout games played at MetLife Stadium, renamed New York New Jersey Stadium during the tournament, in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

“As we prepare to host the World Cup right outside of New York City, we know that ticket prices for this tournament have soared into the thousands of dollars. There are countless New Yorkers desperate to attend a World Cup match, but who simply cannot afford to go,” Mamdani announced.

“We know that there are so many New Yorkers who thought that there was no way they could afford to go to this tournament and now there is that glimpse of an opportunity.”

Eligible residents will be able to enter a lottery that runs from May 25 and lasts for six days. Each entrant can sign up once per day, with the daily signups capped at 50,000. Mamdani ensured that only New York City residents will be able to enter and each of the five boroughs will be represented.

By winning a ticket, the entrant also wins the right to purchase an additional ticket.

“This is just a question of if you sign up, and then it’s just a question of crossing your fingers,” Mamdani added.

The holders of these tickets will also be able to get free bus transportation to and from the stadium.

The 2026 World Cup, hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, has come under fire for both the price of the tickets and transportation – particularly in the US.

Train fares from New York City to the stadium – home of the NFL’s New York Giants and Jets – had skyrocketed to almost 12 times the regular cost, per the Associated Press. These prices have been reduced slightly since, though, following criticism.

“As someone who grew up playing soccer in this city, we know that too often there are too many cost barriers, not just to watching soccer but even playing soccer and we want to make it as easy as possible for the world’s game to be enjoyed by everyone across the five boroughs,” Mamdani added from the Harlem Tavern in Little Senegal.

During Thursday’s announcement, Mamdani was joined on stage by US Men’s National Team player Timothy Weah, who spoke about inspiring the next generation of US soccer stars.

“I think this opportunity is really healthy for the community and for New York in its whole. I think as athletes it’s important to have a voice because we are the pillars of this community – we’re the leaders of the next generation.

“As a kid, it was always a dream to be up here and to be in stadiums playing and if I can help the next kid get to that stage, I think it’s a wonderful feeling,” the winger from New York said.

“My jo

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By Issy Ronald, Kosta Gak, Anna Chernova, CNN

(CNN) — Ukraine claims to have killed scores of Russians in two strikes in the country’s occupied eastern region, as Kyiv steps up mid-range drone attacks targeting Moscow’s military infrastructure.

One wave of strikes hit a Russian drone pilot training camp in the occupied town of Snizhne, killing at least 65 cadets and an instructor on Wednesday night, according to the commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces.

Another set of strikes hit a Russian security service headquarters and an air defense system in the Kherson region in occupied Ukraine, killing and wounding almost 100 Russians, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed Thursday. He did not say when the attack took place.

Ukrainian claims of such high casualty figures are unusual, and CNN cannot independently verify them. The Kremlin directed CNN to Russia’s Defense Ministry for comment. CNN has reached out to both the Federal Security Service (FSB) and the ministry for comment.

Meanwhile, throughout Thursday, Russia’s Defense Ministry touted gains it claims to have made on the front line.

Separately, the ministry said Thursday it has delivered some nuclear munitions to storage sites in Belarus as part of a nuclear forces exercise. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, led those exercises Thursday via video call, the Kremlin added.

Ukraine has had some newfound success on the battlefield in recent weeks, stanching the rate at which it was losing land. Last month, it took back more land than Russia seized for the first time since August 2024, though Moscow still controls almost 20% of Ukraine’s territory, according to an analysis from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a US-based conflict monitor.

That success can largely be attributed to Kyiv’s current drone superiority. After focusing much of its efforts on short-range attacks on Russian positions along the front line, and long-range strikes reaching far into Russia itself, Ukraine has recently stepped up its mid-range strikes, targeting Russia’s logistics.

These attacks seem to mark the latest display of that strategy. Robert Brovdi, the commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, claimed the drone academy strike targeted a 2,484-square-meter complex, which housed drones and explosives as well as a command post. He posted footage appearing to show one-way attack drones hitting a building, which became increasingly damaged with each strike.

Footage posted on social media Wednesday night also showed a building ablaze in Snizhne, which CNN has geolocated to the same area as the drone training camp.

Zelensky also posted footage showing strikes destroying several buildings, alongside his claims of striking a Russian FSB headquarters and air defense system.

In other overnight strikes, Ukraine targeted the Syzran oil refinery, which lies in Russia’s Samara region, more than 800 kilometers (497 miles) from the Russia-Ukraine border, Zelensky said. Two family members of a Russian soldier who fought in Ukraine were killed in that strike, according to the region’s governor. Other salvos targeted areas all along Russia’s western border, forcing Russian air defenses to shoot down 121 Ukrainian drones, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

Meanwhile, at least five people were killed and 41 injured in Russian strikes on Ukraine overnight into Thursday, as of midday, according to Ukrainian authorities.

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CNN’s Ivana Kottasová and Katya Krebs contributed reporting.

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