Children’s World Early Learning Center said it would begin checking backpacks entering the building.
The parent of a toddler at a Michigan daycare was arrested after the child was found with a loaded gun in a holster, police said.
Canton Police said officers quickly secured the weapon. No one was injured.
Police Chief Joseph Bialy praised daycare staff for their response after surveillance video showed the firearm had entered the building in the child’s backpack.
“I’ve watched the video. I’ve seen what their staff did,” Bialy said during a news conference. “And they were prepared and ready to be able to remove this firearm and keep all the kids safe.”
Toddler pulls loaded gun from backpack at Michigan daycare (WWJ via CNN Newsource)Bialy said one of the child’s parents is a law enforcement officer in a neighboring jurisdiction but was not the parent taken into custody. He said the gun was not believed to be a service weapon.
“It’s shocking to see,” Bialy said of the video.
Children’s World Early Learning Center said it would begin checking backpacks entering the building.
“Because of our attention to safety and our strict adherence to protocols, we avoided what could have been a tragedy,” the center said in a statement to CBS News Detroit.
Bialy stressed the importance of safely storing firearms, saying he did not believe there was “any ill intent by truly anyone involved,” but that the incident “really falls back on safe security of a firearm.”
Detectives are investigating and will send the case to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office for review.
