A parent was arrested after police claim their toddler was found with a loaded gun at a Michigan daycare.
Officers were called to the daycare shortly after the child was allegedly discovered with the weapon inside the Canton facility the morning of Monday, September 24, according to a news release shared by the Canton Police Department.
“Officers quickly arrived on scene, secured the weapon, and initiated an investigation which led to the arrest of one parent of the toddler,” the department said.
Police didn’t identify the child’s parent in the news release.
The other parent, who wasn’t arrested, is a police officer in a nearby jurisdiction, Canton Police Chief Joseph Bialy confirmed, according to the Detroit Free Press.
The incident reportedly occurred at Children’s World’s Early Learning Center.
“We are incredibly fortunate that no one was injured during this incident,” Bialy said, per the newspaper. “A toddler should never have had possession of that firearm. We’re so lucky that we didn’t have an incident there.”
According to a message from the daycare center’s director, staff members realized the toddler had a gun after the child took it out of their backpack, WDIV-TV reported. The weapon was allegedly in a holster.
After noticing the weapon, they responded to secure the firearm, the center’s director said.
“Most importantly, no one was hurt or injured,” the statement from the daycare said, according to the TV station. “The supervising teacher remained calm and followed the appropriate safety response.”
Due to the incident, the toddler’s family is no longer enrolled with the daycare facility “as an obligation to maintain the safety and security of all children and staff,” the center said.
Detectives with the Canton Police Department are continuing to investigate the incident.
The case “will be forwarded to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office for review once the investigation is complete,” the department said.
It wasn’t immediately clear how the toddler had access to a loaded firearm.
“The Canton Police Department wishes to assure the community that there is no ongoing theta associated with this incident,” the agency said in its news release. “The Canton Police Department remains committed to thoroughly investigating all weapons-related offenses, taking these matters with the utmost seriousness.”
Canton is about a 30-mile drive west from Detroit.
