Published October 1, 2026 at 7:29 AM EDT

The parents of a 3-year-old Detroit-area boy who had a loaded gun in his backpack at a daycare were charged with misdemeanor crimes Thursday as prosecutors also revealed the firearm was passed to other kids before a staff member intervened.

The gun was not fired and no one was injured.

“It is very unsettling to think about what may have happened in this case,” Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy said.

One parent was charged with violating Michigan's gun storage law, while the other parent, a Detroit-area police officer, was charged with creating a risk of harm, which is fourth-degree child abuse. They appeared in court and were released on bond.

The gun was in a holster Monday when the boy pulled it from a backpack at Childrens World Early Learning Center in Canton Township and shared it with other children, the prosecutor's office said. It was not the officer's work weapon.

Under state law, firearms must be locked up at home when children are present. Worthy’s office in Michigan’s largest county has handled nearly two dozen gun access cases since 2024, spokesperson Maria Miller said.

“Children have a magnetic and instant attraction to guns, for some reason,” Worthy said in May while promoting safe storage. “They always know where they are. They always want to pick them up. They always want to play with it. They always want to shoot it.”