A 2-year-old at a South Richmond daycare picked up a loaded gun and put it in their mouth before placing it on a table near five other children, according to Virginia Department of Social Services records. The child held the firearm for approximately 15 seconds before staff noticed and took it away. Richmond Police say the incident happened Sept. 25 at Thrive Learning Center East.
According to WTVR CBS 6, the gun belonged to Martha Evans, an administrator at the center, who brought it into the facility inside an unzipped fanny pack. That fanny pack was left on a low stack of cots that was accessible to children, the station reports, citing state records. Evans was arrested Oct. 7 and has since been released from custody.
Evans faces two charges tied to the incident: possession of a firearm at a school and reckless handling of a firearm, per the station's report. Under Virginia Code § 18.2-308.1, knowingly possessing a firearm on the property of a licensed child day center is a Class 6 felony carrying up to five years in prison and a fine of as much as $2,500. Separately, Virginia Code § 18.2-56.2 makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor, punishable by up to 12 months in jail, to recklessly leave a loaded, unsecured firearm in a way that endangers a child under 14.
Days-Long Delay in Reporting the Incident
Social services records cited by the station indicate Evans and two other staff members did not report the incident promptly, and the department was not notified until four days after the toddler accessed the gun. State regulations under 8VAC20-780 require licensed child day centers to report certain specified events, with deadlines that vary and generally are measured in business days. Oversight of that licensing process shifted from the Department of Social Services to the Virginia Department of Education on July 1, 2021, per Gray Broughton Injury Law, which is why both agencies still maintain roles in reviewing daycare incident filings.
Thrive Learning Center East, located at 3118 Cofer Road, opened in March and currently operates under a provisional license, the station's report notes. A directory lists the facility's capacity as 52 children, ages 1 month to 5 years. The station says it has contacted the Virginia Department of Education for an update on the daycare's license status.
Reporter Finds Center Closed, No Response From Administrator
When a CBS 6 reporter visited Thrive Learning Center East on a Friday seeking more information, the facility was closed. The reporter left a message through the center's Ring doorbell and separately sought comment from Evans at her home and by phone, but Evans did not respond to those requests, according to the station's account.
A conviction for a designated barrier crime would permanently bar Evans from future employment or volunteer service at any licensed child day center in Virginia; other felony convictions may disqualify an individual for five years under Virginia Department of Social Services rules governing barrier crimes.
A Pattern That Prompted Past Legislation
A Pattern That Prompted Past Legislation Virginia requires safe, unloaded firearm storage in home-based child care settings, according to Child Care Aware of Virginia. The organization also notes that an estimated 35% to 45% of Virginia households contain at least one firearm, underscoring why safe-storage education remains a priority in child care settings statewide.
A similar case surfaced just three days later in Michigan, where a toddler pulled a loaded handgun from a backpack at Children's World Early Learning Center in Canton Township on Sept. 28, leading to criminal charges against the child's parents, as the Associated Press reported. Nationally, Everytown for Gun Safety has found that children under 18 were involved in more than 300 unintentional shootings in 2023, underscoring why safe-storage education remains a priority in child care settings statewide. The Richmond case remains an ongoing, developing story.
