“Virginia parents arrested after gun discharges in school incident involving third-grade student”
Authorities in Virginia have arrested a couple after their third-grade son took an unsecured handgun from their home, placed it in his backpack, and brought it to school where it accidentally discharged during class, officials reported. Ciara Armstead, 36, and Terrence Carroll Jr., 34, have been charged with recklessly leaving a loaded, unsecured firearm accessible to a child under 14 years old, a misdemeanor, as well as willfully or negligently endangering a child’s life, a felony offense. The child discovered the unsecured handgun at home, placed it in his backpack, and took it to Lee Hill Elementary School in Spotsylvania County on Monday, according to the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office statement. The gun was inadvertently discharged when the child reached into his backpack during class on Monday morning. The teacher promptly evacuated all 26 students from the classroom and alerted the School Resource Officer. Fortunately, no one was physically harmed during the incident. Following an investigation, authorities determined that the child did not have any malicious intent. Armstead and Carroll Jr. were released on a $5,000 unsecured bond and are scheduled for an arraignment in Spotsylvania County Juvenile Domestic Court on Friday. The child involved in the incident will not be facing charges. [Source: Virginia parents arrested after gun went off inside 3rd grader’s backpack at school]
