A Detroit police officer was placed on administrative duty and prohibited from possessing a firearm, either at home or on the job, while he faces a criminal charge after his toddler was found with a gun at a Canton daycare.
Prosecutors have charged both parents of the toddler, who was found with a loaded handgun on Sept. 28 at Children’s World Early Learning Center.
The police officer, Brandon John Ely, 28, has been charged with one count of fourth degree child abuse, a one-year misdemeanor. Rabab Ibrahim Al Zayad, 27, has been charged with one count of unsafe storage, a 93-day misdemeanor.
The arraignment was held on Oct. 1 in 35th District Court in front of Judge Joe Barone.
Barone prohibited both parents from possessing any firearms. Ely told Barone at the hearing that he has nine guns in three safes at his home.
Colemon Potts, a lawyer for both parents, asked Barone for an exception for Ely’s employment, noting the firearm could be kept out of the house and locked in a safe at the department when not in use.
“Mr. Ely … has been a police officer for eight years, four years as a detective, four years of special ops, so he needs his firearm for work,” Potts said.
Barone disagreed.
“I certainly understand the position that he would like to retain a firearm, but given the nature of the allegations and the nature of the offense, I think it’s appropriate this time that both not have or possess any firearms,” Barone said, ordering the firearms to be surrendered immediately while the case is pending.
Potts declined comment after the hearing. Bond was set at $10,000 unsecured personal bonds. The next court date was set for Oct. 30.
“The Detroit Police Department is aware of an incident that occurred in another jurisdiction involving one of our officers,” Detroit police said in a statement. “The officer has been placed on administrative duty, no gun status while we actively review this matter. If it is determined that the officer violated department policy or the law, that individual will be held accountable.”
Canton Police Chief Joseph Bialy said the firearm recovered at the daycare was privately owned, not a Detroit Police Department firearm.
The family is also not allowed to return to Children’s World. Al Zayad said they had two children attending the center, but both have been disenrolled.
In a statement, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said the individuals’ 3-year-old son found the firearm in a backpack stored in the classroom around 8:55 a.m. on Sept. 28 at Children’s World’s Early Learning Center.
“The firearm was then passed to other students,” the statement said. “A teacher observed the handgun, immediately intervened, and removed it from the children.”
No one was injured.
Bialy noted the investigation did not show any negligence on the part of Children’s World.
“Once the teacher recognized a firearm was in her classroom, she took immediate action, and I do believe she was able to prevent any type of tragedy from occurring,” he said.
Michigan’s safe-storage law, which went into effect in 2024, requires firearms to be secured in a locked container, or unloaded with a locking device, when left unattended where children are present or likely to be present.
The adult responsible for securing the gun can face charges ranging from a 93-day misdemeanor if a child gets access to the weapon and possesses or displays it around others, to up to five years in prison if the child fires it and injures someone and up to 15 years if someone is killed.
Reporting by Laura Colvin, Hometownlife.com / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
