CANTON — Police say a teacher at a Canton daycare found a toddler with a loaded gun Monday morning.
Canton police were called to Children's World Early Learning Center on Sheldon Road, where officers safely recovered the gun. No one was injured.
"It was a terrifying message to get on a random Monday," Amy Paggeot, a parent at the daycare, said.
Canton Police Chief Joseph Bialy said one of the toddler's parents was taken into custody. The investigation is ongoing.
"This is an alarming incident and I watched the video. And it's hard to watch the video even knowing the outcome is a safe one," Bialy said.
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Bialy said the toddler's other parent is a police officer in a neighboring jurisdiction, and that department is conducting its own review of the officer.
However, the parent who was arrested is not the police officer. It has not been confirmed whether the firearm belongs to the officer, and police have not yet released the name of the department where the officer is employed.
"I can tell you when the call came out, it's one you never want to get. And the officers that responded did a good job working with the staff," Bialy said.
Parents at the school said the incident was deeply unsettling.
"Everybody is freaked out, the teachers are freaked out, everybody is scared," Paggeot said.
Paggeot was dropping her kids off at the center as police responded.
"My kid is usually bringing his stuffie. Ya know. These kids are all little. No one in this school is over the age of 5. Most of them haven't dropped their nap. Like these are kids," Paggeot said.
Parent Byron Foxworth, who has 2 kids at the daycare, said the officer involved should have known better.
"Especially as a police officer, you should know the dangers of it so you should definitely have it more concealed and put it away from places your kid could reach it," Foxworth said.
Foxworth said he was pleased with how the staff handled the situation.
"They are very communicative here," Foxworth said.
The family involved in the incident is no longer enrolled at the daycare, parents told 7 News Detroit.
The daycare director released this statement following the incident:
"We pride ourselves on being one of the safest centers in the Canton area. It is our priority. Although this incident was out of our control, we are very proud of our staff and especially the teacher who responded so quickly.
It was an unfortunate incident. No one was hurt and all safety measures were followed.
Because of our attention to safety, and our strict adherence to protocols, we avoided what could have been a tragedy."
The case remains under investigation, and the Canton Police Department’s
Detective Bureau will present their findings to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office for review once complete.
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