No one was injured after a staff member secured the firearm, and the child’s parents now face separate misdemeanor charges.
CANTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A Canton Township daycare has added security measures after a 3-year-old boy brought a loaded handgun into a classroom, where prosecutors say the weapon was handled by children before a staff member stepped in and secured it.
The Sept. 28 incident at Children’s World Early Learning Center ended without a gunshot or injury, but it has led to criminal charges against both of the boy’s parents and renewed attention to Michigan’s firearm storage requirements. The daycare said it has begun checking bags and has removed the family from enrollment following the incident.
Canton police were called to the center Monday morning after receiving a report that a toddler had a loaded firearm inside the building. Officers secured the gun and opened an investigation. Police initially announced that one of the child’s parents had been arrested and that there was no continuing threat to children, staff or the surrounding community.
Prosecutors later said the child had pulled a holstered handgun from his backpack and passed it to other children before an employee intervened. The weapon did not fire. Canton Police Chief Joseph Bialy praised the staff response, saying the employee’s actions and the center’s existing procedures helped keep the situation from becoming more serious.
Children’s World management said the center was proud of the teacher who responded and announced additional precautions after the incident, including searches of bags entering the facility. The center also said the family involved had been disenrolled as part of its effort to protect children and staff.
The investigation resulted in separate charges against the boy’s parents. Detroit Police Officer Brandon John Ely, 28, was charged with fourth-degree child abuse, an allegation tied to creating a risk of harm. His wife, Rabab Ibrahim Al Zayad, 27, faces a charge under Michigan’s firearm storage law. Both charges are misdemeanors.
The parents appeared Thursday in 35th District Court, where Judge Joe Barone set $10,000 unsecured personal bonds. Barone ordered both defendants to stay away from the daycare and prohibited them from possessing firearms during the case. Ely later surrendered nine firearms after the judge declined a defense request that would have allowed him to keep his service weapon for work.
Michigan’s safe-storage law requires firearms to be secured in circumstances involving minors. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy’s office has handled nearly two dozen cases involving children gaining access to guns since 2024. Worthy said after the Canton charges were announced that the possibility of what could have happened at the daycare was troubling and noted that no one was killed or injured.
The Detroit Police Department has also opened an administrative review involving Ely. The department placed him on administrative duty with no-gun status and said it would examine whether his conduct violated department rules or the law. That review is separate from the criminal proceedings in Wayne County.
The circumstances that allowed the handgun to end up inside the child’s backpack remain central to the pending cases. Prosecutors will have to prove the allegations against each parent in court, and the charges do not establish guilt.
Ely and Al Zayad are due back in court Oct. 30 for a pretrial hearing. The daycare’s additional bag checks remain among the security changes announced after the incident.
Author note: Last updated October 2, 2026.