A 2-year-old in Virginia reportedly put a loaded gun into their mouth while daycare staff were busy scrolling their phones.

The incident happened on Sept. 25 at the Thrive Learning Center East in Richmond after an administrator brought a gun in an unzipped fanny pack to the daycare, according to a report from the Virginia Department of Social Services.

The report said that upon arriving at the daycare, the administrator “took off the fanny bag and placed it on a low stack of cots, approximately 31 inches from the floor.”

Sometime later, the toddler “obtained the firearm from the fanny bag” and then “placed the firearm barrel side first into their mouth,” the report continued.

As this happened, two staff members “were looking down on their cell phones,” while another staff member “had their back turned putting socks on another child,” according to the report.

Meanwhile, the child “walked over to a table with the firearm in their mouth, placed the firearm on a table where five other children were sitting on the floor, and then picked up the firearm from the table.”

This all reportedly occurred within the span of 15 seconds.

Not until the very end did the staff members finally realize what was happening, at which point one staff member “retrieved the firearm” and handed it to the administrator.

According to the VDSS, the administrator had “regularly” been bringing their firearm in an unzipped fanny pack to the daycare for the span of four months.

In addition, the agency reported that both the administrator and daycare staff members waited four days to report the incident instead of abiding by rules saying that reports should be filed within 24 hours.

During an inspection, the VDSS also discovered that the Thrive Learning Center East was violating other rules, as well by leaving children unattended and not properly maintaining immunization records.

A plan of correction has since been put in place.

“All staff will be trained/retrained on understanding mandated reporting requirements and what is included under the definition child abuse and neglect,” the report explained.

“Staff will be trained to report offenses to 911, the Department of Social Services, and/or Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline.”

“Staff will be given information for reporting as well as be posted at the daycare in each classroom,” the report continued. “Thrive Learning Center East will adhere to and train all staff regarding ‘Zero Tolerance’ for firearms or other weapons on daycare property.”

Staff members at the daycare will also receive “safety training” from the local police department.

The administrator who brought the gun to the daycare has since been identified by Richmond station WTVR-TV as Martha Evans.

Virginia Department of Education documents obtained by the station showed that Evans bringing a gun to the daycare was a “normal routine,” meaning it happened multiple times.

When the station contacted Evans’ husband, who was described as the daycare’s managing member, they asked him why his wife had brought a loaded gun to the daycare.

He replied, “No comment.”

When asked why parents were never notified, he hung up the phone.

Newly obtained state records reveal that the day a 2-year-old got ahold of a loaded gun at Thrive Learning Day Care East was not the first time the center’s administrator had brought a firearm to work 🔗 Find link in our bio. pic.twitter.com/0uK9yEqLXi

— WTVR CBS 6 Richmond (@CBS6) October 21, 2026

According to WTVR-TV, Virginia has “temporarily” shut down the daycare. The station further reported that the state “intends to permanently suspend the center's license” sometime in the near future.

In the meantime, critics of the daycare have launched a petition demanding the state immediately suspend the license.

A 2-year-old put a loaded gun in their mouth at Thrive Learning Center East in Richmond, Virginia, after taking it from administrator Martha Evans’ unzipped fanny pack, according to state records obtained by WTVR. Staff intervened after about 15 seconds.

Staff told investigators…

— Change.org (@Change) October 21, 2026

“State leaders should suspend this license pending a full investigation, enforce real penalties for missed reporting deadlines, and strictly enforce rules keeping any firearm on a childcare property locked away from children,” the petition read.

Evans, for her part, has been charged with possession of a firearm at a school and reckless handling of a gun.

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