Parents Charged After Toddler Brings Gun to Daycare

Parents Face Charges After Daycare Gun Incident

The parents of a 3-year-old boy have been charged after police said the child brought a loaded, holstered handgun to a Canton Township, Michigan, daycare and showed it to other children. Brandon John Ely, 28, a Detroit police officer, faces one count of fourth-degree child abuse, while Rabab Ibrahim Al Zayad, 27, faces one count of unsafe firearm storage.

Both parents were arraigned in 35th District Court on Oct. 1. The charges are misdemeanors, and neither parent has been convicted. The firearm was not discharged, and authorities reported no injuries at Children’s World Early Learning Center.

A Teacher Secured the Gun Inside the Classroom

Police were called to the center on the morning of Sept. 28 after staff discovered that the child had a firearm in his backpack. Canton police said the gun was loaded and remained in its holster when the boy removed it.

Local reporting said the child showed the gun to classmates and passed it to other children before a teacher intervened. Staff secured the firearm and contacted police, preventing the incident from progressing further.

Canton Police Chief Joseph Bialy credited the center’s staff and classroom procedures with keeping the children safe. The daycare later said the family had been disenrolled and that it added new precautions, including bag checks.

The Gun Was Linked to the Child’s Father

WDIV reported that the gun belonged to Ely, who serves with the Detroit Police Department. Prosecutors charged him with fourth-degree child abuse, alleging that the circumstances created a risk of harm to the child. Police said the firearm was not a department-issued service weapon, separating the criminal case from Ely’s assigned police equipment.

Al Zayad was charged under Michigan’s firearm-storage law. Prosecutors have not alleged that either parent intentionally sent the child to daycare with the gun, and the charges will have to be proven in court.

The Detroit Police Department placed Ely on administrative duty without a gun while it reviews the matter, according to WDIV. The department said it would examine whether any law or internal policy was violated.

The Daycare Changed Its Entry Procedures

The incident placed the focus on how a firearm reached a classroom of very young children. Children’s World management said staff responded immediately once the gun was noticed and emphasized that the teacher acted quickly to remove it from the child’s possession.

The center said it added bag searches after the incident. That response changes the routine for families entering the daycare, even though police said there was no continuing threat after the weapon was secured.

The Associated Press reported that Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy’s office has handled multiple cases involving children gaining access to firearms since Michigan strengthened its safe-storage requirements. In this case, the legal questions center on how the gun was stored and what responsibility each parent had before the child arrived at daycare.

Ely and Al Zayad remain accused, not convicted. Both appeared for arraignment after prosecutors authorized the charges, and the Associated Press reported that they were released on bond while the cases proceed.

The public-safety response now extends beyond the criminal counts. The daycare changed how bags are screened, while Detroit police placed Ely on administrative duty without a firearm during its internal review. Those actions do not determine criminal responsibility, but they show how the discovery inside one classroom produced separate court, workplace and childcare responses.

The immediate danger ended when a teacher secured the loaded firearm, but the case has moved into court while the daycare and Detroit police separately review what happened and what procedures should follow.

References: A child brought a loaded gun to a Canton daycare center. Now the parents are facing charges | Parents Charged After Toddler Found With Loaded Handgun at Canton Daycare | Michigan parents charged with misdemeanors after 3-year-old son displayed loaded gun at daycare