A two-year-old pulled a loaded gun out of an unzipped fanny pack at a Richmond daycare, put the barrel in their mouth, and carried it to a table where five other toddlers sat.
Quick Take
- A loaded firearm belonging to a daycare administrator was left in an unzipped fanny pack on a low stack of cots at Thrive Learning Center East.
- State records say a 2-year-old held the gun for about 15 seconds before staff noticed and took it away.
- The incident was not reported to authorities until four days later, past the required 24-hour window.
- Virginia shut the daycare down starting October 1 while state education officials investigate.
What State Records Say Happened That Day
Virginia Department of Social Services records describe a chain of events that should alarm any parent. An administrator at Thrive Learning Center East in Richmond brought a loaded firearm into the building inside a fanny pack. The bag was left unzipped on a low stack of cots, well within reach of toddlers in the room, according to the records reported by WTVR.
A 2-year-old found the gun, pulled it out, and put the barrel directly into their mouth. Inspectors determined the child held the loaded weapon for roughly 15 seconds before any staff member noticed and stepped in to take it away. Fifteen seconds does not sound long until you picture a toddler’s finger near a trigger.
The danger did not end once the gun left the child’s mouth. State records say the toddler then walked to a table where five other children were sitting, set the firearm down, and picked it back up again before an adult finally intervened. Six small children were within arm’s reach of a loaded gun inside a licensed daycare classroom.
A Reporting Delay That Broke State Rules
Virginia law requires daycare staff to report serious incidents like this one within 24 hours. That did not happen here. The incident occurred on September 25, but the daycare did not report it to state officials until September 29, four days later. That delay itself is a separate violation on top of the firearm failure.
Separate reporting adds another troubling detail to the timeline. Staff reportedly treated the presence of the gun as routine and were distracted by their phones in the period before the child accessed it. If accurate, that detail points to a supervision breakdown that let an entirely preventable moment turn dangerous.
Why Virginia Shut The Doors
Thrive Learning Center East stopped operating on October 1 while the Virginia Department of Education investigates the incident, according to WRIC. The closure is described as temporary, tied directly to the ongoing state review rather than a final revocation of the daycare’s license. Virginia regulations already require family day homes to store firearms unloaded, locked, and separate from ammunition during operating hours, rules this incident appears to have violated outright.
This case is not an isolated fluke in how young children get hurt or nearly hurt by guns. Federal data shows that unintentional firearm deaths among children most often happen at home, with the weapon stored loaded and unlocked, and the child simply playing with or showing it to someone else. A separate tracking project found unintentional shootings among children ages 0 to 5 nearly doubled between 2019 and 2021. A daycare adds a cruel twist: parents trust these rooms specifically because they are supposed to be safer than home.
2-Year-Old Put Loaded Gun in Mouth at Virginia Daycare, State Records Say
Administrator Martha Evans brought a loaded gun into Thrive Learning Center East in South Richmond on Sept. 25, where a 2-year-old gained access to the weapon.
Social Services records indicate the firearm… pic.twitter.com/OVo5gxJWv4— jonny (@TheeOutpost) October 20, 2026
Common sense says a loaded gun has no business sitting in an unzipped bag anywhere near a room full of toddlers, period. Virginia’s licensing rules exist precisely to prevent this kind of lapse, and the four-day reporting delay compounds the failure rather than excusing it. Parents trusting a licensed daycare with their toddlers deserve better than a 15-second gap between a loaded firearm and a tragedy. The state’s decision to close the facility while it investigates is the right first step toward answers.
Sources:
wric.com, wtvr.com, whsv.com, hoodline.com, local12.com
