Philadelphia, PA – Authorities confirm a 7-year-old boy found a loaded .38-caliber handgun in his backpack Thursday. The child was attending an after school program at the Universal Samuel Daroff Charter School when he made the disturbing discovery, and alerted a teacher. The revolver housed five live rounds.
The boy was putting a folder away in his backpack, around 4 pm, when he found the gun inside. He said the satchel had been in his possession the entire day, but was unable to explain how the firearm got there.
School staff seized the bag and firearm and contacted the police. Police are conducting interviews with family and associates in hopes of decoding how the gun ended up in the bag. For the moment the circumstances are unknown.
Lieutenant John Walker stated :
“We’re currently investigating the specifics of how this kid came in contact with the weapon. We still have to review surveillance video. We have to talk to family members who drop him off school, family members who pick him up and students at the school.”
Unfortunately, this is not the first case of someone unexpectedly stumbling across a firearm. Back in December, an 8-year-old girl reportedly found a gun next to a teddy bear inside a wrapped donated Christmas present. In Roswell, New Mexico, a supermarket employee discovered a handgun inside a package frozen food.
In January, an armed security guard reportedly left his gun in the bathroom of a Lapeer, Michigan charter school. The firearm was unloaded at the time. Thankfully, the weapon was secured by an adult before any children noticed the firearm.
Most recently, a Kentucky inmate , Tommie Bryant, found a Kentucky State Police officer’s gun in the Russell County High School’s gymnasium while on a work release assignment.
[Image via Shutterstock ]
