Toddler pulls loaded handgun from backpack at Michigan daycare

A toddler brought a loaded, holstered handgun into Childrens World Early Learning Center in Canton, Michigan, and pulled it from a backpack before a staff member intervened, Police Chief Joseph Bialy said. No one was injured, and one of the child’s parents was taken into custody, police said. Bialy said he reviewed surveillance video showing the toddler retrieve the firearm inside the daycare. A teacher was in the room and acted quickly to remove the gun, he said, crediting staff preparedness with helping keep the children safe. Police secured the weapon and opened an investigation into how it came to be at the center. Police have not identified the parent taken into custody, and accounts conflict over whether that person was the parent who works in law enforcement. Bialy said one parent was an officer with a neighboring jurisdiction, but reports differ on whether that officer was the person detained. The available accounts do not establish who owned the handgun or how it was placed in the backpack. The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office said Tuesday that it was reviewing a warrant request and that there would be no arraignment that day.