Police in St.Paul are investigating how a loaded handgun ended up in the backpack of an elementary school student.
It happened Monday at John A. Johnson Achievement Plus Elementary School. "When the child went to set her backbpack down, she heard a thud," said Sgt. Mike Ernster, a spokesperson for the department. "She looked inside, and saw a gun and told her teacher right away."
The teacher then secured the gun and called police.
"The mother was contacted and came to the school where she admitted the gun was hers," Ernster said.
They are still trying to figure out how the gun ended up in the backpack, but the mother could face charges. "Unsafe storage is one possibility, but we will be looking at other laws that may have been broken. You have loaded gun, with the capability of firing so anytime you have anyone who doesn't know what they are handling, it's obviously dangerous."
Ernster said the gun was loaded, but there were no bullets in the chamber, so it could not have been fired without someone pulling the slide back.
Still, he says it could have been tragic if the girl hadn't acted quickly and responsibly.
