BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – East Baton Rouge Parish deputies arrested a mother Thursday after a gun was found in her child’s backpack at a local school.
According to the sheriff’s office, administrators were notified that a student showed another student a gun that was inside her backpack at Baton Rouge Foreign Language Academic Immersion Magnet (FLAIM) on Thursday morning. The student who was shown the gun reported it to a teacher, who checked the bag, found the firearm, and immediately notified administrators. The weapon was identified as a pink Glock 9mm handgun containing 10 rounds of ammunition. No injuries or threats were reported.
How the gun ended up at school
During the investigation, the student told school personnel the firearm had been placed with her backpack by her mother. Deputies later spoke with Vannicea McCray, 36, who admitted the firearm belonged to her. McCray said that while preparing to leave her residence, she placed the firearm on the side of the child’s backpack and mistakenly failed to remove it before the child left for school.
The child told investigators that once inside the vehicle, she removed the firearm from the side compartment of the backpack and placed it inside the backpack.
Arrest and child welfare response
At the conclusion of the investigation, McCray was arrested and charged with contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile under LRS 14:92. She was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison. The firearm was recovered and secured as evidence.
The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services was notified and responded to the scene regarding the welfare of the child…