Police officer charged after 3-year-old son brings loaded gun to daycare

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Two parents have been charged with misdemeanor crimes after their 3-year-old son displayed a loaded gun at a suburban Detroit-area daycare.

The little boy had the loaded gun in his backpack and passed it to other children before a staff member intervened, prosecutors said on Thursday.

One parent was charged with violating Michigan's gun storage law, while the other parent, a Detroit-area police officer, was charged with creating a risk of harm, which is fourth-degree child abuse.

They appeared in court and were released on bond.

“It is very unsettling to think about what may have happened in this case,” Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy said.

The gun was in a holster Monday when the boy pulled it from a backpack at Children's World Early Learning Center in Canton Township and shared it with other children, the prosecutor's office said.

It was not the officer's work weapon.

Canton Police Chief Joseph Bialy praised the workers at a press conference, saying an instructor spotted the weapon immediately and stepped in to secure it, preventing any injuries.

Bialy, who reviewed security footage of the incident, described watching the toddler retrieve the gun as "shocking" and terrifying to witness, despite knowing no one was hurt.

Under state law, firearms must be locked up at home when children are present.

Bialy said, “We have to understand where our firearms are, and we have a duty to make sure that we keep them secure. The law is very clear. If a child is present or you anticipate a child being present, you have to take those precautions.”

The school has disenrolled the family, reports WDIV.

“We pride ourselves on being one of the safest centers in the Canton area. It is our priority. Although this incident was out of our control, we are very proud of our staff and especially the teacher who responded so quickly,” the daycare said in a statement.

Worthy’s office in Michigan’s largest county has handled nearly two dozen gun access cases since 2024, spokesperson Maria Miller said.

“Children have a magnetic and instant attraction to guns, for some reason,” Worthy said in May while promoting safe storage. “They always know where they are. They always want to pick them up. They always want to play with it. They always want to shoot it.”