Detroit Officer Charged After 3-Year-Old Brings Loaded Handgun Into Canton Daycare

A Detroit police officer has been placed on administrative duty and ordered not to possess firearms at home or on the job while he faces criminal charges after his 3-year-old son brought a loaded handgun into a Canton, Michigan, daycare.

Wayne County prosecutors charged both parents after the loaded pistol was discovered Sept. 28 inside a backpack at Children's World Early Learning Center. The officer, Brandon John Ely, 28, was charged with one count of fourth-degree child abuse. His partner, Rabab Ibrahim Al Zayad, 27, was charged with one count of unsafe storage.

Court Hearing And Firearm Prohibition

The arraignment was held Oct. 1 in 35th District Court before Judge Joe Barone. The judge ordered both parents to surrender any firearms immediately and prohibited them from possessing or having access to weapons while the case is pending.

Defense attorney Colemon Potts asked for an employment-related exception to allow Ely to keep a service weapon locked at the police department when not on duty, noting Ely told the court he owns nine guns stored in three safes at home. Judge Barone denied the request, saying the seriousness of the allegations justified the no-gun order.

Bond was set at $10,000 in unsecured personal bonds, and the next court date is scheduled for Oct. 30.

Daycare Response And Investigation

Canton Police Chief Joseph Bialy said the firearm recovered at the daycare was privately owned, not a department-issued weapon. Prosecutors said the 3-year-old had the loaded handgun in a backpack stored in the classroom at about 8:55 a.m.; the firearm was reportedly passed to other students before a teacher noticed it, intervened and removed it. No injuries were reported.

Children's World has been cooperative with investigators, and the family has been barred from returning to the center. Officials said both children the couple had enrolled there were disenrolled following the incident.

Legal Context And Officials' Remarks

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy called the episode "very unsettling" and emphasized that the charges reflect what prosecutors believe they can prove beyond a reasonable doubt. Chief Bialy used the case to remind parents of their responsibilities and Michigan's safe-storage requirements.

Michigan's safe-storage law, effective in 2024, requires firearms to be secured in a locked container or rendered inoperable with a locking device when left unattended where children are present or likely to be present. Penalties range from a misdemeanor with up to 93 days in jail if a child gains access and merely possesses or displays a weapon, to felony penalties—including up to five years if a child fires the gun and injures someone, and up to 15 years if the firearm is used in a fatal incident.

The Detroit Police Department said the officer has been placed on administrative duty with a "no gun" status while the matter is reviewed and reiterated that it holds officers to high standards both on and off duty. If department policy or the law was violated, the department said the involved officer will be held accountable.

Contact reporter Laura Colvin at [email protected]. This article originally appeared in the Detroit Free Press.