WEST TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) – A 5-year-old west Toledo boy brought a gun to daycare Tuesday. The gun was unloaded, but still caused a major scare. It happened Tuesday at My First Days Daycare in west Toledo.
Police said the boy pulled out a .25-caliber pistol, which is only about 4 inches long, easily mistakable for a toy. He told the daycare employees he thought it was a lighter and found it in the grass near his North Towne Village apartment in the 5700 block of Silverside Drive. He brought it to the daycare to show his friends.
"I never would have thought a kid would have found a gun laying around. That's crazy. That kind of scares me a little bit," said Unique Smith.
Smith lives in the same apartment complex and has a daughter about the same age.
According to police, the boy had told his mother about his discovery before taking it to daycare, but she did not check to see what it was.
Meanwhile at the daycare, parent Jasmine Gregory is taking her 2-year-old home one last time.
"I don't like my baby being in harm's way. I want him to be in another environment," said Gregory.
While Gregory blames the child's parents for what happened, she is still moving her son to another daycare.
Daycare owner Kashaundra Besteda said her employees followed proper procedure by taking the gun away, calling police and alerting parents. She said they have put safeguards in place to keep it from happening again.
"Now we will check everything that comes through the door: their book bags, their diaper bags. We will check everything to make sure nothing like this can ever happen again," explained Besteda.
Some parents felt that is still not enough.
"Say if it was loaded, if he was playing with it, and say my son got shot. That would be so scary and he's my only baby," Gregory said.
Police have been to the apartment complex to investigate. At this point, criminal charges filed against the mother are unlikely.
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