A two-year-old at a Richmond daycare picked up a loaded gun, put the barrel in their mouth, and carried it to a table full of other toddlers before any adult stepped in.
Quick Take
- A 2-year-old at Thrive Learning Center East in Richmond put a loaded gun in their mouth.
- State records say the gun belonged to an administrator and sat in an unzipped fanny pack on a low stack of cots.
- The child reportedly held the firearm for about 15 seconds before staff noticed and took it away.
- Virginia’s Department of Education shut the daycare down starting October 1 while it investigates.
What Virginia Records Say Happened Inside The Daycare
Virginia Department of Social Services records, cited by WRIC, say the incident happened at Thrive Learning Center East in Richmond. An administrator brought a loaded gun into the facility inside a fanny pack. A 2-year-old child found it, pulled it out, and put the barrel in their mouth.
State records cited by WTVR describe exactly where the gun was sitting. It was inside an unzipped fanny pack, placed on a low stack of cots within a toddler’s reach. Inspectors determined the child held the loaded firearm for about 15 seconds before any staff member noticed and stepped in to take it away.
A Toddler Walked The Gun To A Table Of Other Children
The danger did not end once the child picked the gun up. According to the state report reproduced by WHSV, the toddler walked across the room with the firearm still in their mouth and set it down on a table where five other children were sitting. The child then picked the gun back up before a staff member finally intervened.
That detail matters because it shows the gun was within easy reach of multiple toddlers, not just the one child who found it. A loaded firearm sitting on a table surrounded by five small children is the kind of moment that could have ended in tragedy rather than a licensing investigation. The outcome here was luck, not safety design.
Staff Reportedly Waited Days Before Telling The State
Virginia law requires child care providers to report serious incidents quickly, but WHSV reports that did not happen here. The administrator and staff reportedly did not notify state officials within the required 24-hour window. The incident happened September 25, yet it was not reported until September 29, four days later.
That gap raises its own questions about accountability, separate from the gun itself. Virginia’s child care regulations are explicit that firearms at licensed facilities must be stored unloaded, locked, and apart from ammunition. A loaded gun on a cot already breaks that standard before anyone considers how slowly the state was told about it.
State Regulators Closed The Daycare While They Investigate
Thrive Learning Center East has not operated since Tuesday, October 1, while the Virginia Department of Education looked into the incident, according to WRIC. The closure is described as temporary, tied directly to the open investigation rather than a permanent revocation, though the facility remained shut as of the most recent reporting available.
This case fits a pattern researchers already understand well. Federal data shows nearly half of unintentional firearm deaths among children happen at home, and playing with or showing a gun to someone else is the most common trigger. Loaded, unlocked storage runs through nearly all of these cases, whether the setting is a bedroom or a daycare cot.
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
Parents trusting a licensed daycare with their toddler expect basic safety rules to be followed without exception. A loaded gun in an open bag, sitting at child height, is not a gray area under Virginia’s own child care regulations. The state’s response, closing the facility and investigating the reporting delay, reflects how seriously regulators are treating a close call that easily could have become a tragedy.
Sources:
wric.com, wtvr.com, whsv.com, law.lis.virginia.gov, cdc.gov
