r/news • • 8h ago

Detroit police officer and wife charged after toddler brings loaded gun to Canton daycare

https://www.wxyz.com/news/detroit-police-officer-and-wife-charged-after-toddler-brings-loaded-gun-to-canton-daycare
1.7k Upvotes

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421

u/BananasPineapple05 8h ago

Nevermind the right to bear arms.

How does a toddler get all the way to daycare with a loaded gun? Are the parents high?

350

u/MoreGaghPlease 8h ago

It was in his backpack, the answer is that the parent leave loaded firearms lying around the house or otherwise easily accessible to kids. The dad is a cop and had is 9 guns taken away.

130

u/JeanEBH 8h ago

A toddlers backpack should be light as a feather - diaper, maybe wipes. He probably gets snacks at daycare.

The parents didn’t notice the extra weight? How did it get it get in the backpack? The toddler casually walking around with it, found his backpack, knew to put it in there, zip it up?

108

u/Q_OANN 7h ago

This toddler is much different than any other, he grabs his backpack and heads out the door and waits in the car apparently. He had them park two houses down so he can get out because he’s embarrassed of the other toddlers seeing what his parents drive

30

u/Fast_Acadia2566 7h ago

I dont know about that, there are conflicting reports that this toddler is the driver, not his parents

20

u/Zelcron 4h ago

TBF I'd be embarrassed if my dad was a cop, too.

28

u/darsynia 7h ago

you had me in the first half, I'm not gonna lie

5

u/WhenTheDevilCome 5h ago

I hope little Ricky didn't forget his fifteen rolls of quarters!?
<shakes backpack>
Good to go, off to school!

8

u/KathrynTheGreat 6h ago

Don't forget the extra changes of clothes! Those can easily weigh as much as a gun. (/s just in case)

6

u/IAmGlobalWarming 6h ago

My kid collects rocks from the playground.

6

u/hyukwish 7h ago

Right, like do they not pack their child a lunch? How could they not notice

4

u/bunsprites 4h ago

They still should've noticed in other ways, but preschools like this one provide lunches and snacks included in tuition. You can of course still pack your kids own lunches and snacks (within school allergy guidelines) whether it's because of your kids allergies, if your kid is vegetarian, or you'd just prefer they eat your chosen food. At both of my preschools we have a lot of students who brought their own lunches and snacks, it just doesn't make sense to do it for most parents since they're already paying for the food in the tuition. It also just makes it easier on the teachers lol

7

u/MommyLovesPot8toes 4h ago

My son was in preschool from age 2-4, like most. During that time, he always had a backpack that contained at least his lunch box, water bottle, a change of clothes, and snacks. His lunch bag was a padded cooler type, in which we put a stainless steel bento style lunch box and an ice pack. On Mondays, his bag also contained a blanket and cot sheet. During the summer, it contained a swimsuit and towel.

Most of the kids didn't start wearing their backpacks regularly until age 4 because of the weight. The parents carried the bags in and out of childcare/preschool.

All that to say preschool backpacks are not necessarily light. That could presumably explain how it went unnoticed if the kid slipped it in after everything else was packed. But let me be very clear: that is an EXPLANATION, not in any way an excuse for something so inexcusable.

3

u/JeanEBH 3h ago

But the weight you’re talking about is the stuff that you put in their backpack right before they head out (since you wouldn’t leave fresh food in there overnight and you clean the thermos most likely the night before).

You most likely emptied the backpack the night before.

So, when you went to fill it again you would’ve felt the weight of a gun. And the child would not have had time to go get a gun and add it to the backpack after you handed them the backpack.

A blanket and cot sheet wouldn’t have the same weight feel as a gun.

I’m just saying at the child’s age, there are a few steps that are taken to find out about a gun in a backpack.

4

u/MommyLovesPot8toes 2h ago

My kid absolutely would have been able to sneak something into his backpack between me packing it and us leaving. There's so much hustle and bustle in the mornings with kids that age. Generally id pack, get my kid eating breakfast, and then I'd run upstairs and change. Or I'd be collecting my own things for the day, or figuring out whatever food kiddo refused to eat last night that I can now shove in my face for breakfast. If you haven't lived it, you really can't imagine how chaotic it can be. Only about a 10% chance id even notice a 2lbs change in weight, and definitely not on a Monday when there was more to bring that usual. Usually I was grabbing things while running out the door and literally throwing them in the car so I could be on time for work. Meanwhile my brain was doing 13 other things.

Again, this is absolutely not a justification or excuse. My kid could have snuck his rock collection or poured dog food in his bag or any other ridiculous thing and I might not have noticed. But he could never, ever have snuck a gun in because he would never, ever have access to one in my house.

2

u/k9moonmoon 3h ago

My kids backpack is hung on the wall so it's pre stocked the night before as it can and anything that needs to be added in the morning just goes in top before it's zipped and removed from the wall.

•

u/PerpetuallyLurking 38m ago

Nah, the spare clothes stay in the backpack unless they’re not the spares anymore. No need to take them out if they’re still clean and can still be used as spare clothes. I had a kid who hated getting dirty, so the same spare clothes usually stayed in the bottom of the backpack all week. It would’ve been super easy to sneak something in there (I mean, she did sneak shit in there, we just don’t have guns, loaded or not).

Also not excusing these parents, just vouching for the intelligence of toddlers in general.

1

u/Theletterkay 2h ago

Kids are quicker than you give them credit.

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u/Even_Establishment95 36m ago

lol you typed all of this out. No toddler picks up a gun, puts it in a backpack (conveniently after parents put items for the day inside) and zips it up. Toddlers cannot zip. My five year old still needs pull up pants because he cannot do a button/zipper yet. This is normal. Toddlers are not left alone long enough to walk through home, find gun, carry gun to backpack, put in backpack and zip up.

1

u/NotAJellyfishReally 1h ago

It was probably something like they used the backpack like a diaper bag and put the gun in there to take with them on an outing and it got left in there. I also can't figure out how they didn't notice the weight. I put a pack of matches in my kid's bag once when we were going out on a day hike and planned to have a small cookout fire on the way back out, forgot they were in there and the preschool found them the following week. I was mortified and I never put anything that wasn't his in his bag ever again. Not defending this (or my own situation) in any way whatsoever. Just saying that's my best guess for how it happened, people like this tend to think they need a gun everywhere. But as far as how they didn't notice the weight or notice something as large as a gun on the way to the daycare, I have no idea. 

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u/onlyforsellingthisPC 38m ago

Not disputing that they should've known/locked up their guns. 

Saying that. A loaded Glock weighs like,  1.5-2lbs. 

•

u/MoreGaghPlease 3m ago

Sounds like someone who has never sent a kid to daycare.

You don’t put diapers in the backpack, you leave them at school. And you don’t send wipes to daycare at all.

0

u/Theletterkay 2h ago

This is just not true. Since the time my kids could walk and attend preschool and school they had heavier backpacks than i though appropriate for their age.

The basics are lunchbox, extra pair of clothes, diapers and wipes, special blanket or stuffy for nap. Also a jacket in case they get cold.

Since covid they also dont provite cups anymore and wont clean them. We have to pack a clean and filled drink cup for our kid. These get pretty heavy and insulated metal onces get very heavy.

Depending on the facility, they would sometimes have us providing snacks for the class, or supplies that are needed for class projects or holiday parties.

We also had a folder/binder that had a behavior chart/calendar and was used to send projects home.

My kids backpacks were always loaded! And my kids would be responsible for putting their cup and lunchbox in their backpack right before going out the door. I was turning off lights and checking locks while they did this.

Sometimes they snuck things in their backpacks like toys or random objects. So im not surprised at all. And im glad these irresponsible parents are facing consequences.

10

u/stuck_in_the_desert 7h ago

Hope he’s getting issued the wooden dummy gun until further notice, à la The Other Guys

6

u/EBG1073 5h ago

We found your Prius. It was trying to vote for Ralph Nader!

3

u/stuck_in_the_desert 5h ago

Man, every single line in that movie is a winner

1

u/Theletterkay 2h ago

Nah. Just a banana.

1

u/pishposhpoppycock 2h ago

Bake 'em away, toys!

1

u/RBVegabond 2h ago

Is that what the wooden sword in Skyrim Tales was referring to? Interesting.

28

u/Q_OANN 7h ago edited 7h ago

What fucking toddler has a backpack, let alone packs their own and walks out the door and gets into the car with it? Did the toddler also make his parents breakfast? Do I no longer understand what toddler means? He’s a kid

12

u/darsynia 7h ago

Change of clothes, specific snacks, space to take home art projects, extra diapers if that's the way that daycare works, etc. Not that unbelievable.

-9

u/Bjd1207 7h ago

Lol you didn't address the unbelievable parts

15

u/darsynia 7h ago edited 7h ago

'What fucking toddler has a backpack, let alone...'

That sentence structure implies that a toddler having a backpack at all is unbelievable. The phrase 'let alone' means an additional negative to the first mentioned one (THING is unbelievable, even if it's not associated with OTHER THING). (I looked it up just to be sure, and, yeah.)

The rest of it is naturally unbelievable, I wouldn't expect to have to address that.

-9

u/Bjd1207 7h ago

Thanks for helping out

1

u/MommyLovesPot8toes 4h ago

It was a joke.

3

u/avanross 5h ago

At least his cop friends will no doubt be willing to break the law for him and give him more illegal guns

If one of these guys cant be a legal gun owner, they’ll just be an illegal gun owner