A five-year-old kindergartener was carrying a gun in his backpack when it accidentally discharged in the cafeteria of an elementary school near Memphis on Thursday, according to the Associated Press.
No one was hurt when the gun discharged as the students were waiting for the opening bell at Westside Elementary School in Frayser, Tenn. Memphis police hurried to the scene where the child was taken into custody, according to WREG-TV.
"While waiting for the opening bell in the cafeteria, the firearm discharged accidentally inside the child's backpack," a statement from Shelby County Schools said. "Nobody was injured, and staff immediately took possession of the backpack.
"SCS Security and the Memphis Police Department responded quickly, and the matter is now under investigation," the statement continued. "There is no evidence at this time of harmful intent; however, weapons of any kind are prohibited on campuses, and this student will be disciplined in accordance with the state's zero tolerance policy."
Both the 5-year-old and the child's mother were taken into custody by Memphis police and released without any charges. Police determined that the child found the loaded gun in a closet at home and decided to place it in his backpack, according to the Associated Press.
A spokeswoman for the school district, Stefani Everson, explained why the district did not evacuate the school or send out a notification to parents using the ParentLink communication system, according to the Associated Press.
"[It was] an isolated and controlled situation that occurred before the school day started and did not involve any individual or school-wide threat," Everson said in an email to the Associated Press.
The incident happened only two days after an incident at an Atlanta area school involving a potential school shooter was diffused when an administrator was able to convince the would-be shooter to surrender to police without incident, according to ABC News.
