Police took a parent into custody this week after a toddler at a Michigan daycare center pulled a loaded handgun in a holster from their backpack, police said.
No one was hurt in the incident Monday in Canton Township, and Police Chief Joseph Bialy praised daycare staff members for their handling of the situation.
“I’ve watched the video. I’ve seen what their staff did,” he said at a news conference Monday. “And they were prepared and ready to be able to remove this firearm and keep all the kids safe.”
Police did not identify the parents, and no criminal charges had been filed by Tuesday afternoon.
One of the parents is a law enforcement officer in a neighboring jurisdiction, Bialy said. That was not the parent who was taken into custody, he said. He did not believe the weapon was a service weapon.
The firearm — a handgun that was in a holster — came into the building in a backpack, Bialy said.
The incident was captured on video that shows the toddler removing the firearm from the backpack, Bialy said.
“It’s shocking to see,” he said.
A teacher was in the room the entire time, saw what was happening and took swift action to intervene, Bialy said.
“Had that not happened, I do not know where we would be right now or what kind of conversation we would be having,” he said.
The daycare center has disenrolled the family, NBC affiliate WDIV of Detroit reported.
The facility where the incident occurred, Childrens World Early Learning Center, said it would also start searching backpacks entering the building.
“We remain committed to ensuring our center is a safe haven for every child and family we serve,” it said.
The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office said Tuesday afternoon that a warrant request was being reviewed but that there would be no arraignment that day.
Bialy called the situation a serious incident and said police were treating it that way. He stressed the importance of safe storage of firearms.
“I don’t think there was any ill intent by truly anyone involved,” Bialy said. “I think it really falls back on safe security of a firearm.”
“The law is clear”: If a child is present or expected to be present, firearms must be secured, he said.
