Toddler Put Loaded Gun in Mouth at Richmond Daycare as Staff Looked at Phones, Report Says

The daycare’s operator faces firearm charges after a 2-year-old allegedly retrieved the weapon from an unzipped fanny pack within reach of children.

RICHMOND, VA — A 2-year-old pulled a loaded gun from an unzipped fanny pack and put it in their mouth at a Richmond daycare while two staff members looked at their phones, according to a state inspection report.

The child then placed the weapon on a table near five other children at Thrive Learning Center East on Cofer Road, according to the Virginia Department of Social Services report.

Martha Evans, who operates the daycare, faces charges of possession of a firearm on school property and reckless handling of a firearm, WTVR reported, citing court records.

Loaded weapon sat on a stack of cots

Evans and two other staff members were caring for eight children on September 25 when the incident occurred, investigators wrote.

The report said Evans left the gun “accessible to children” inside the fanny pack on a stack of cots about 2½ feet above the floor.

While the toddler handled the weapon, Evans and another employee were looking down at their phones, according to investigators. A third staff member had her back turned while putting socks on another child.

The charges against Evans are allegations, and the supplied account does not establish an outcome in the criminal case.