A 4-year-old Goreville, Illinois child brought a police officer's LOADED service weapon to preschool all day, and no one knew about it until he arrived back home.
On December 13th, at approximately 4:50 p.m., officers were called to a residence in Goreville, Illinois to retrieve a firearm from the backpack of a preschooler.
According to the police report, the preschooler saw the gun laying on his mother's bed and he decided to pick it up and put it in his backpack, to take it to school with him. This happened in Jonesboro, Illinois at the home of the child's mother. His mother is a 911 dispatcher. The gun belongs to Dakota Richardson, an Ullin, Illinois police officer.
The child attended his regular preschool in Goreville. Due to the child being barely 4 years old, and in preschool, it is not standard practice to check backpacks. No one knew there was a loaded handgun in the child's backpack. A teacher did reportedly put paperwork in the backpack but did not report seeing the gun.
When the young child returned to his father's house in Goreville, his ex called him at 3:30 p.m. and reported that her boyfriend was missing a "flashlight" and other small items from his uniform belt. A gun was never listed in the missing items.
The father checked the 4-year-old's backpack and found a Glock (model 19) 9 mm handgun. The police report states that the father was unfamiliar with handguns so he called his wife, who is "very knowledgeable about firearms", to safely secure the weapon from the backpack. When the preschoolers stepmother retrieved the gun she noticed it was fully loaded with a round in the chamber.
Reportedly, everyone at school and the preschoolers siblings, who are all under the age of six, were also exposed to the loaded weapon without knowing it.
It was reported that the child was interviewed and the child did not bring the gun to school for any nefarious reasons, but rather he was exhibiting standard curious behavior for his age. He saw something interesting and picked it up to take it to school.
The police report notes that the preschooler stated he saw the gun on his mother's bed in the morning while she slept so he took it. Officer Richardson stated that although he doesn't live there he keeps the weapon in a drawer. He stated he did not know why the 4-year-old said the weapon was on the bed. The police report notes Officer Richardson stated, "We've been having problems with (redacted 4-year-old's name) taking items he is not supposed to have."
The responding officer asked officer Richardson, "Why did you leave your unsecured weapon in a dresser drawer within reach of a 4-year-old who keeps taking things?"
The officer reported that Richardson did not have much to say about that.
The missing gun was never reported to the officer's Department as missing and it was not discovered it was missing until approximately 3:00 p.m. the same day the child took it in the early morning hours before school.
The police report noted that child endangerment charges would be pursued, however that is up to the state's attorney. There has been an order of protection placed to ensure that the police officer and the 4-year-old's mother are not to interact with the child. It is reported the mother has been allowed supervised visitation. The preschoolers father has primary custody.
I do find it shocking that I had to find out about this story from an official sending me the full police report.
The official stated, "I am afraid this is all going to be swept under the rug due to both of the suspects employment. Teachers and children were put in danger as well as the student's siblings and parents. Backpacks get tossed around. So many people were in danger including the child carrying the weapon.
If anyone else in this predicament hadn't noticed a firearm missing for a full day; especially knowing a child most likely had the loaded weapon, DCFS would be immediately involved. That has not happened in this case."
This is the picture of the firearm in the backpack from the police report.
We are incredibly relieved/ happy that the school staff, all of the children, the four-year-old and his family were all safe. We are especially thankful to have read in the police report that the stepmother knew what to do with a loaded weapon that apparently does not have a safety. This could have ended terribly but it didn't and for that we are thankful.
The Ullin police department has not made any public statements about this dangerous incident but we will update if they do.
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