A 3-year-old brought a loaded handgun to Children’s World Early Learning Center in Canton Township on Sept. 28 and passed the holstered weapon to other children before staff intervened. Prosecutors charged Detroit officer Brandon Ely with fourth-degree child abuse for creating a risk of harm and charged the child’s mother, Rabab Al Zayad, with violating Michigan’s secure storage law. A judge ordered both parents to surrender firearms and set $10,000 unsecured bonds each; Ely was placed on administrative duty without a gun while police investigate. The case is pending with a return date of Oct. 30.
Detroit Officer Charged After 3-Year-Old Brings Loaded Handgun To Daycare; Parents Ordered To Surrender Guns
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A loaded handgun was brought into a Canton Township daycare by a 3-year-old on Sept. 28 and passed to other children before staff intervened, prosecutors said. No one was injured and the weapon was not fired, but the incident prompted criminal charges and a temporary surrender order for the parents' firearms.
What Happened
According to The Associated Press, the child removed the holstered handgun from his backpack at Children’s World Early Learning Center and began handing it to other children until a staff member intervened. Prosecutors said the gun was in a holster when the toddler accessed it. The weapon that reached the daycare was not the officer’s service firearm.
Charges And Court Action
Both parents appeared in court on Oct. 1 and were released on bond. Prosecutors charged Detroit police officer Brandon Ely with fourth-degree child abuse for creating a risk of harm. The child’s mother, Rabab Al Zayad, was charged with violating Michigan’s secure storage law for firearms. A judge ordered both parents to surrender their firearms while the case is pending, including a gun Ely said he wanted to retain for work; the judge denied an exception requested by Ely’s attorney.
The judge set unsecured personal bonds of $10,000 for each parent. Ely told the court he keeps nine guns at home stored in three safes. The parents are scheduled to return to court on Oct. 30, according to local reporting.
Police And Prosecutor Response
The Detroit Police Department said it placed Ely on administrative duty without a gun while it investigates whether department policy or the law was violated. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy called the incident "very unsettling." A spokesperson, Maria Miller, said Worthy’s office has handled nearly two dozen cases involving child access to firearms since 2024.
Secure Storage Law Details
Michigan’s secure storage law took effect on Feb. 13, 2024. The statute generally applies when someone leaves a firearm unattended on premises they control and knows, or reasonably should know, that a minor is present or likely to be there. State guidance outlines two compliant options: store the firearm in a locked box or container, or unload it and secure it with a locking device that prevents unauthorized use. A holster alone does not meet the law’s storage requirements.
The law permits misdemeanor charges when improper storage gives a minor access to a firearm they possess or display in public or when a firearm is possessed or displayed around another person in a careless, reckless, or threatening manner. Those provisions do not require that a weapon be fired or that anyone be injured to support charges.
Context And Resources
"They always know where they are. Always want to pick them up. They always want to play with it. They always want to shoot it,"
Worthy warned in May while promoting safe-storage measures, emphasizing children’s curiosity about firearms. Michigan offers free gun locks through county health and human services offices and through some participating law enforcement agencies. Local officials urge residents to use approved storage methods to prevent similar incidents.
Neither parent has been convicted in the Canton case. The investigation and court proceedings are ongoing.
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