Michigan Parents Charged After Toddler Brings Loaded Gun to Daycare
The parents face misdemeanor charges for child abuse and unsafe firearm storage following an incident where their son took a handgun from his backpack at a Canton Township daycare.
A Michigan couple has been arraigned in court after their three-year-old son brought a loaded handgun to a Canton Township daycare. Brandon John Ely, 28, and Rabab Ibrahim Al Zayad, 27, appeared in the 35th District Court on Thursday.
Ely, identified as a Detroit police officer, faces a charge of fourth-degree child abuse, a misdemeanor. Al Zayad is charged with one count of unsafe storage, also a misdemeanor. Investigators allege their son removed the handgun from his backpack shortly before 9 a.m. on Monday while at the Children's World Early Learning Center.
During the court hearing, Ely stated he kept nine guns secured in three safes at home. The judge banned both parents from possessing firearms and ordered them to surrender any weapons while the case is pending. The couple's attorney, Colemon Potts, argued that Ely, an eight-year veteran of the Detroit Police Department with experience in special operations, needed his firearm for work and proposed storing it securely at the department. The judge deemed the firearm ban appropriate given the nature of the allegations.
Both parents are prohibited from returning to the Children's World facility. Al Zayad confirmed that the couple had two children enrolled at the center, but both have since been disenrolled.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy stated that the child retrieved the "unsecured" gun from a backpack within the classroom and subsequently passed it to other students. A teacher intervened and removed the firearm from the children without any injuries. "It is very unsettling to think about what may have happened in this case," Worthy said, adding that her office was "thankful that there was no loss of life."
The Detroit Police Department has placed Ely on administrative duty without gun status pending a review of the incident. The department stated that the officer would be held accountable if it is determined he violated department policy or the law.
Canton's director of police services, Joseph Bialy, described the child's actions as unintentional but emphasized that the responsibility for safe firearm storage rests with the owner. "Fortunately, this incident concluded without physical injury," Bialy said. "However, it was undoubtedly a traumatic experience for all parties involved." An investigation did not find negligence on the part of the daycare center.
The judge set the parents' bond at $10,000. Ely and Al Zayad are scheduled to return to court for a pre-trial conference on October 30. Michigan's safe-storage law requires firearms to be secured or unloaded when minors are present. Failure to comply, resulting in a minor displaying the firearm in public or in a threatening manner, can lead to a 93-day jail sentence under state law.