Virginia report says toddler put daycare administrator's loaded gun in mouth

A 2-year-old at a Richmond, Virginia, daycare took a loaded handgun belonging to an administrator and placed the barrel in their mouth, according to a Virginia Department of Social Services report cited in a Gray News story from WWBT. KWCH 12, WCAX, Valley News Live and WABI all carried the story.

The report says the incident happened Sept. 25 at Thrive Learning Center East. According to the outlets, an administrator brought the firearm to the site in a fanny pack. The pack was left unzipped on top of a short stack of cots inside a classroom, where the child was able to reach it.

State officials said the toddler held the gun in their mouth while walking to a table, according to the outlets. The child set the gun on that table, near five other children seated on the floor, and then picked it up again. The report says roughly 15 seconds passed before any adult noticed the child had the gun.

The report also describes what staff were doing beforehand. About 30 seconds before the child took the gun, the administrator and another employee were looking at their phones, according to the outlets. A third employee was facing away from the 2-year-old while helping another child with socks.

Social Services found that the administrator regularly carried the gun to work. It also found that the fanny pack was routinely left where children could get to it, the outlets reported.

The department said the daycare did not report the incident within the required 24 hours. Instead, it notified the state four days later, on Sept. 29. The gun was taken away from the children, placed in a lock box and removed from the building, according to the report.

The outlets reported that the firearm incident was one of several violations found during an Oct. 8 state inspection. Inspectors also cited the center for leaving children without supervision and for failing to keep vaccination records up to date.

Under a plan of correction issued by Social Services, all staff are to be trained or retrained on mandated reporting rules and on what counts as child abuse and neglect. Reporting information is to be posted in every classroom. The plan also says the center will train employees on a zero-tolerance policy for firearms and other weapons on its property.

According to the plan, the daycare has contacted the Richmond Police Department about safety training, including how to respond to an intruder. The center said it intends to arrange annual training with the department.

The outlets did not report any criminal charges in connection with the incident. They also did not name the administrator or include a response from the daycare.

Compiled by True News from reporting by KWCH 12, WCAX, Valley News Live and WABI. Each outlet's original story is linked below.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/209