Public Safety · Richmond, VA
Toddler Put Loaded Gun in Mouth at Richmond Daycare, State Report Alleges
A state Department of Social Services report alleges that a 2-year-old at Thrive Learning Center East in Richmond, Virginia, retrieved a loaded gun from an administrator's unzipped fanny pack and placed the barrel in their mouth on Sept. 25. The toddler held the firearm for approximately 15 seconds before adults noticed; staff were reportedly looking at phones or had their backs turned. Social Services said the administrator regularly brought the gun to work and left it accessible, and that the incident went unreported for four days until Sept. 29. An Oct. 8 inspection also found violations including unsupervised children and incomplete vaccination records. The daycare received a plan of correction requiring staff retraining on mandated reporting and a zero-tolerance firearms policy.