Brandon John Ely and Rabab Ibrahim Al Zayad, parents of a three-year-old who brought a loaded handgun to a Michigan daycare on Monday, appeared in court this Thursday. Ely, 28, is charged with fourth-degree child abuse (a misdemeanor), while Al Zayad, 27, faces unsafe storage charges. Judge Joe Barone banned both from possessing firearms and ordered them to surrender any guns immediately. The couple’s lawyer argued that Ely needed a firearm for his work as a police officer but was overruled by the judge who stated it was appropriate given the circumstances.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-02,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On Monday in Canton Township, Michigan, a toddler at Children’s World Early Learning Center pulled out a loaded handgun from his backpack. The incident occurred around 9 AM and no one was injured thanks to the quick actions of daycare staff who secured the weapon immediately. Police Chief Joseph Bialy commended the staff for their swift response.
One parent is a police officer in a neighboring community, though they were not arrested. The other parent, identified as Rabab Al Zayad, 27, and Brandon Ely, 28 (Ely being a Detroit-area police officer), was taken into custody. They appeared in court on Thursday where Ely faced charges of fourth-degree child abuse and Al Zayad faced charges of unsafe storage under Michigan’s secure storage law.
The couple was released on bond set at $10,000 each and are scheduled to return to court for a pre-trial conference on October 30. The judge also ordered them to surrender any firearms while their case is pending.
Written for “Toddler Brings Loaded Gun To Daycare” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 7 other(s) covering the same event.
The parents of the three-year-old child who brought a loaded handgun to a Michigan daycare appeared in court after this week's shocking incident.
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who → bring → incident
Brandon John Ely, 28, and Rabab Ibrahim Al Zayad, 27, were arraigned in the state's 35th District Court before Judge Joe Barone on Thursday, according to the Detroit Free Press.
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Ely → arraign → Press
Ely, who is a veteran Detroit police officer, has been charged with one count of fourth-degree child abuse, a misdemeanor.
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who → charge → abuse
Al Zayad has been charged with one count of unsafe storage, also a misdemeanor.
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Zayad → charge → storage
Investigators alleged their son took the handgun from his backpack shortly before 9am on Monday while in school at Children's World Early Learning Center in Canton Township, a suburb roughly 30 miles west of Detroit.
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son → allege → Detroit
At the hearing, Ely told Judge Barone that he kept nine guns in three safes at home.
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he → tell → home
Ely was dressed in a black suit with a white shirt and a matching black tie during the court appearance, while Al Zayad wore a dark blue blouse with a black blazer.
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Zayad → dress → blazer
Barone banned both parents from having any firearms and ordered the couple to surrender them immediately while their case was pending.
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case → ban → them
The couple's lawyer, Colemon Potts, asked Barone to consider Ely's job, saying that 'he needs his firearm for work.'
Brandon John Ely, 28, and Rabab Ibrahim Al Zayad, 27, were arraigned in Michigan's 35th District Court after their son, three, brought a handgun to a Detroit area daycare
The incident happened in a classroom at Children's World Early Learning Center in Canton Township
The couple's attorney, Coleman Potts (left), asked for Ely to be able to keep a gun because he needed it 'for work'
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he → ask → work
Potts said a gun could be kept out of the house and locked in a safe at the department when not being used.
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gun → say → department
He said Ely had worked as a police officer for eight years, and also had four years of experience as a detective and in special ops.
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Ely → say → ops
Barone shot back that the measure was 'appropriate' because of 'the nature of the allegations and the nature of the offense.
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measure → shoot → offense
'
Ely and Al Zayad are also not allowed to return to Children's World on the 7400 block of North Sheldon Road after the incident involving their son, The Detroit Free Press reported.
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Press → allow → son
Al Zayad said the couple had two children attending the center but that both had been disenrolled.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said Thursday after the arraignment that the couple's child retrieved the 'unsecured' gun from a backpack stored in the classroom.
The firearm was then 'passed to other students,' according to Worthy.
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firearm → say → Worthy
'A teacher observed the handgun, immediately intervened, and removed it from the children,' the statement continued.
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statement → observe → children
No one was injured.
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one → injure → ?
Ely was charged Thursday with one count of fourth degree child abuse, a one-year misdemeanor
Meanwhile, Al Zayad has been charged with one count of unsafe storage, a 93-day misdemeanor
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said the 'unsecured' gun was found inside a backpack stored inside a classroom at the center
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gun → charge → center
Worthy said that it was 'very unsettling to think about what may have happened in this case.'
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what → say → case
She added that her office was 'thankful that there was no loss of life.'
'These are the charges that we will be able to prove in court of law beyond a reasonable doubt,' Worthy said.
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Worthy → add → doubt
The Detroit Police Department said it was aware of the case involving Ely, though it happened in a different jurisdiction.
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it → say → jurisdiction
Detroit police said Ely had been placed on administrative duty without gun status while the matter was being reviewed, per the outlet.
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matter → say → outlet
'If it is determined that the officer violated department policy or the law, that individual will be held accountable,' the department added.
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department → determine → policy
Joseph Bialy, Canton's director of police services, called the child's actions 'unintentional' but insisted that 'the responsibility for the safe and secure storage of firearms rests unequivocally with the firearm owner.'
'Fortunately, this incident concluded without physical injury,' Bialy said.
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Bialy → call → injury
'However, it was undoubtedly a traumatic experience for all parties involved.
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it → involve → parties
Ely was charged with one count of fourth degree child abuse, while Al Zayad was charged with one count of unsafe storage
Ely and Al Zayad, seen in a social media picture, are scheduled to return to court for a pre–trial conference on October 30
Bialy said an investigation had not found negligence on Children's World's behalf.
The judge set the parents' bond at $10,000.
Ely and Al Zayad are scheduled to return to court on October 30 for a pre-trial conference.
Michigan's safe-storage law requires firearms to be securely stored or unloaded with a locking device whenever minors are present or likely to be present.
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minors → charge → device
The law is applicable regardless of whether the guns are at home or brought somewhere else.
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guns → bring → home
Under Michigan law, someone can receive a 93-day prison sentence if they fail to secure the firearm and it is obtained by a minor who shows it in a public place or carelessly or threateningly in the presence of another person.
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who → receive → person
The Daily Mail reached out to Ely and Al Zayad's lawyer, Potts, the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, Children's World, Detroit police and Canton police for comment.
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Mail → reach → comment
The Aporia
