King Ke’Erinie is facing multiple charges after her six-year-old child accessed a gun and brought it to school on September 5. Local police reportedly took the Memphis mother into the Shelby County Jail but later released her without bail.
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According to Fox13 MemphisThe 22-year-old is scheduled to see a judge again on October 4 after appearing in court on Friday (September 6). She is charged with child abuse, neglect or endangerment, carrying a weapon on school grounds and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. It is unclear whether King has an attorney.
Given the boy’s age, it’s also unclear whether he will face any legal consequences in the incident. Additionally, the Memphis Police Department has not yet released the six-year-old’s name or photo.
Here’s What Led to Memphis Mom’s Arrest
As mentioned, Ke’Erinie King’s son brought a loaded Ruger 9mm pistol to Getter K-8 School last week. Court documents, cited by Fox13, allege that the child “passed the gun around to other students in the classroom.” Eventually, a student alerted an adult staff member about the gun, who later discovered it after searching the child’s backpack.
In response, police arrived at the school around 9 a.m. Thursday. The Memphis mother admitted to local police that the weapon was hers. However, she claimed she purchased it from an “unknown person.” During the investigation, police discovered the weapon was stolen property after running its serial number.
Boy’s school and grandmother react to incident
Following the incident, Memphis-Shelby County Schools, which includes Getter K-8, released a statement. The statement credited the school resource officer and leaders for acting quickly in the situation, according to WREG-TV. The statement also said the school’s priority is “the safety and well-being of all students.”
“We encourage all parents and guardians to check student backpacks before school each day. It is also important to discuss the serious consequences of bringing any weapon or replica weapon to school,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, Ke’Erinie King’s mother believes the situation has been blown out of proportion. Lakeisha Williams told local media that the charges imply her daughter intentionally gave her son access to the gun or left it lying around.
“We don’t leave guns all over the place where kids can just go and get them. My nephew did it his way,” Lakeisha said. “He pulled up a little chair and got his mom, and he got that gun. Sometimes, as parents, maybe we need to keep our kids from knowing exactly where we hide our guns…”
Regarding the issue of stolen guns, Williams advises people to make sure they buy a “clean” gun when buying on the street.
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