Michigan police say parents will face charges after toddler brought loaded gun to daycare

The parents of a Detroit-area toddler who pulled a loaded pistol from a backpack at a daycare will face charges, police in Canton Township, Michigan, said on Wednesday. The parents were expected to make an initial court appearance on Thursday, according to a police statement. The Wayne County prosecutor’s office declined to provide details, saying it would wait for a judge to approve the charges.

No one was injured in Monday’s incident at Childrens World Early Learning Center. Police said the child held a gun in a holster before a staff member intervened. Canton Police Chief Joseph Bialy praised the staff member for acting quickly and safely.

Bialy had earlier said one of the child’s parents was a police officer in the Detroit area, although authorities did not describe the weapon as a work firearm. The chief said video of the toddler handling the gun was shocking. He said the footage was difficult to watch but expressed relief that nobody had been injured.

Michigan law requires firearms to be locked up at home when children are present. Police said potential penalties depend on the circumstances of each case and become substantially more serious if a gun is fired and someone is wounded or killed. The case comes against the backdrop of another incident referenced by the source material, in which a Newaygo County man was serving more than three years in prison after his five-year-old grandson was fatally shot by another child who accessed a shotgun.

The source did not provide further details about the charges in the Canton case.