Parents to Face Charges After Toddler Brings Gun to Michigan Daycare
Police cited safe storage laws as authorities prepare to charge the parents of a toddler who brought a loaded pistol to a daycare center.
The parents of a Detroit-area toddler who brought a loaded pistol to a daycare center will face charges, police in Canton Township announced Wednesday. The Wayne County prosecutor's office is expected to detail the charges after a judge approves them.
No one was injured on Monday when the child brought the gun in a holster to Childrens World Early Learning Center. Canton Police Chief Joseph Bialy commended a staff member for their swift and safe intervention in the incident.
Bialy had previously stated that one of the child's parents is a police officer in the Detroit area, though the weapon was not identified as a service firearm. "The video is hard to watch, but I'm comforted by the fact that nobody was injured," Bialy told reporters earlier this week, describing the incident as "shocking."
Michigan law requires that firearms be stored securely when children are present in the home. Penalties for violations can be significantly enhanced if a gun is discharged and results in injury or death. In a separate case, a man from Newaygo County was sentenced to over three years in prison after his 5-year-old grandson fatally shot himself with a shotgun accessible to another child.