Off-duty officer finds gun inside 3-year-old's backpack at Pre-K 4 SA

Child finds a small pistol firearm inside their school bag. Smederevac/Getty Images

The San Antonio Police Department have opened an investigation at Pre-K 4 SA’s West Center campus on Tuesday, August 15, after school officials say that a teacher found a handgun in the backpack of a 3-year-old girl earlier that morning.

In a mass email sent to parents earlier this afternoon, CEO Sarah Baray said that a teacher found the gun in the students backpack but that the child was unaware that the firearm was even in their possession. Both the gun and the students backpack were immediately confiscated before school officials contacted an off-duty police officer already on campus, according to Baray's email.

No injuries were reported during the incident. But San Antonio authorities are investigating the matter as a case of endangering a child and say the probe is still ongoing. According to SAPD officer Washington Moscoso, the department attempted to contact the child’s father but were unable to locate the guardian at this time.

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While the firearm was brought into the school unintentionally, Baray said the incident has caused Pre-K 4 SA to re-evaluate its safety protocols going forward.

"Effective immediately, we are pausing the use of backpacks in our schools," she said in the email sent to parents. "We know that young children sometimes bring items from home without understanding whether the item is potentially dangerous. This temporary restriction on the use of backpacks will allow us time to determine how best to proceed in the long term."