RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) — A South Florida mother is facing charges of child neglect and allowing a minor to obtain a firearm after a gun was found in her child’s lunchbox at a Riviera Beach daycare.
Shanae Davis, 39, was arrested last week after a gun was found inside her son’s lunchbox. Davis told investigators that she placed the gun inside and forgot to take it out.
According to a Riviera Beach Police report, a teacher at Jackson’s Daycare was opening up a toddler’s lunchbox when she saw a gun inside. She then screamed and another teacher helped to see if it was real. They called authorities when they realized it was a real firearm.
When officers arrived they found a 9mm Glock 43 handgun. Parents said they were stunned.
“It’s bad. That’s just terrifying for the other parents and anybody at school daycare,” said Al Canscel, a father whose child attends the facility.
“It’s scary. I mean, you know when I’m sending my kid to school thinking that he’s going to be safe. I mean, are they? I don’t know,” said Stephenne Warembourg, a mother of a child at the daycare.
Davis told police that she normally keeps the gun in her glove box, but lately, her apartment complex has seen several break-ins so she’s been taking the gun inside.
On Thursday, she placed the gun inside her son’s lunchbox because she doesn’t carry a purse but she forgot to take it out. Hours later she got a call from her son’s daycare telling her to get there immediately.
Parents said while having a gun is a safety precaution, incidents like this are a reminder of how important it is to keep these weapons away from children.
“Things like that are extremely preventable,” said Kimberly Worth, a mother. “You need a gun purse, you need a plan with your gun, you have it in your gun purse, you walk in your home, it goes in a safe or a specific place, which is gun safe, just like you would make your child safe or make your pet safe.”
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.