The breakdown:
- The parents of a 3-year-old boy were arraigned after he brought a loaded, holstered gun to a Canton daycare.
- The gun allegedly belonged to his father, Detroit police officer Brandon Ely, who faces fourth-degree child abuse charges; the boy’s mother faces an unsafe-storage charge.
- Daycare staff quickly secured the weapon after the child removed it from his backpack and showed it to classmates, preventing injuries.
- The family was disenrolled, the daycare added bag searches, and the Detroit Police Department placed Ely on administrative duty pending review.
WAYNE COUNTY, Mich. — A 3-year-old boy brought a loaded gun to a Canton Township daycare center. His parents were arraigned in court this week for allegedly failing to safely store the weapon.
The gun reportedly belonged to the boy’s father — Brandon John Ely, 28, of Wayne County — who currently serves as a police officer with the Detroit Police Department.
Ely was charged with one count of fourth-degree child abuse, a one-year misdemeanor. The boy’s mother, Rabab Ibrahim Al Zayad, 27, also of Wayne County, was charged with one count of unsafe storage.
“These are the charges that we will be able [to] prove in court of law beyond a reasonable doubt,” Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said in a news release Thursday. “It is very unsettling to think about what may have happened in this case. We are thankful that there was no loss of life at this daycare center.”
What happened
Children’s World Early Learning Center staff reportedly noticed the weapon Monday morning and immediately secured it after the child had removed it from his backpack and passed it to other students in the class. The gun was loaded and still in its holster, according to police.
“The protocols that they had in place, the fact that they had an instructor in the room that was able to safely remove the firearm from this toddler, I do believe kept everybody safe and avoided a tragedy,” Canton Police Chief Joseph Bialy said.
The school noted that the family has been disenrolled from the childcare center “as an obligation to maintain the safety and security of all children and staff.”
“We pride ourselves on being one of the safest centers in the Canton area. It is our priority,” Children’s World management said. “Although this incident was out of our control, we are very proud of our staff and especially the teacher who responded so quickly.”
The center said it has added additional safety measures, including searching bags.
Detroit Police Department responds
The Detroit Police Department issued a statement in response to the charges against Ely, stating that he has been placed on administrative duty, no gun status, while the department reviews the matter
“If it is determined that the officer violated department policy or the law, that individual will be held accountable,” the statement continued. “The Detroit Police Department remains committed to transparency, accountability and maintaining the public’s trust. We hold our officers to the highest standards — both on and off-duty — and remain unwavering in our commitment to the principle that no one is above the law.”
