Police investigate after toddler pulls out loaded gun at Michigan daycare

CANTON, Mich. (AP) — A toddler pulled out a loaded pistol Monday at a daycare in southeast Michigan and a police officer who is one of the child’s parents has been taken into custody as the investigation continues, officials said.

No one was injured in the incident in Canton and police praised the daycare staff for acting quickly to make sure all of the children were kept safe, Police Chief Joseph Bialy said during a news conference.

The parent taken into custody is a police officer from a neighboring jurisdiction, though the handgun was not a service weapon, he said.

“I don’t think there was any ill intent by truly anyone involved,” he said. “I think it really falls back on safe security of a firearm, making sure that we know where our firearms are located, that they are not accessible to anyone.”

Bialy said he watched video of the child taking the gun out of a backpack and described it as “shocking.” He said it was hard for him to watch even though he knew the outcome.

The daycare already had a lot of security in place but is going to increase its protocols and start searching all backpacks, he said.

“They had a representative, a teacher, instructor that was in that room the entire time, identified what was happening, and took swift action to intervene,” he said. “And had that not happened, I do not know where we would be right now or what kind of conversation I would be having.”