CANTON, Mich. — A Michigan woman was arrested after her toddler brought a loaded gun inside a daycare center on Monday, authorities said.
The incident occurred at the Children’s World Early Learning Center in Canton, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Surveillance camera footage showed a daycare worker intervening immediately after noticing the child had a loaded Glock pistol in their possession, according to the newspaper.
The age of the child was not provided by police.
The firearm was still holstered when the child brought it into the classroom, with the trigger and trigger guard covered, WXYZ reported. That, and the worker’s quick response, prevented what could have been a tragedy.
“That teacher — once recognized that a firearm was in the classroom — took immediate action,” Canton police Chief Joseph Bialy told reporters.
According to police, the gun belonged to the child’s mother, who is a nurse. She was arrested and could face charges as soon as Wednesday, WXYZ reported.
The toddler’s father is an officer with the Detroit Police Department, according to the television station. Detroit police have not commented about the incident.
Police have not identified the parent in custody because she has not been arraigned, the Free Press reported. Bialy said investigators are working with the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office to determine charges.
“We pride ourselves on being one of the safest centers in the Canton area. It is our priority,” officials with Children’s World Early Learning Center said in a statement. Although this incident was out of our control, we are very proud of our staff and especially the teacher who responded so quickly. It was an unfortunate incident. No one was hurt and all safety measures were followed. Because of our attention to safety and our strict adherence to protocols, we avoided what could have been a tragedy.”
An investigation is ongoing.
“We are incredibly fortunate that no one was injured during this incident,” Bialy told reporters. “A toddler should never have had possession of that firearm. We’re so lucky that we didn’t have an incident there.”