GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Charges were announced Tuesday after a gun was seized from a second grader at a Grand Rapids school nearly two weeks ago.
A handgun was found in a 7-year-old child’s possession at César E. Chávez Elementary School on Wednesday, May 3, according to Grand Rapids Public Schools (GRPS).
No threats were made, and the child did not have ammunition. The student in question was subsequently removed from school.
Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker announced two people are being charged in the incident. He says the mother of the child who brought the gun, identified as 32-year-old Aubrey Wilson, is being charged with fourth-degree child abuse.
Her fiancé, 29-year-old Chelsea Berkley, is charged with felon in possession of a firearm. She is lodged at the Kent County Correctional Facility for an unrelated offense, according to the Grand Rapids Police Department (GRPD).
Berkley was placed on a $5,000 cash/surety bond.
Court documents say the boy found the gun in a bedside drawer, placed it inside his backpack and brought it to school. He reportedly told investigators he hadn't seen the gun before, adding his mother instructed him not to tell anyone about it.
Wilson told police in an interview Berkley purchased the gun, moved it to the drawer from the bedroom closet and forgot about, documents explain.
We're told Berkley admitted the gun was hers and that she bought it on the street for $150.
Berkley was imprisoned for unrelated charges since November, according to court documents. She reported says she bought the gun several months before her imprisonment.
The gun was later determined to have been stolen.
Both suspects have been cooperative with the investigation, Becker adds.
“This demonstrates the seriousness with which we take these cases,” says Becker. “When I say ‘we,’ that being GRPD and the Prosecutor’s Office or any other law enforcement in Kent County, we are going to investigate and follow up with anything that we can do to make sure these guns are kept out of the hands of kids and out of the schools.”
Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom, who was with Becker when charges were announced, says the gun in question was a stolen firearm. He says this may lead to additional charges later on.
“Getting illegally possessed weapons off our streets is critical to our children’s safety,” says Chief Winstrom. “Keeping legally possessed guns secure and out of the hands of kids is critical to our children’s safety. We, together as a community, all have a role to play in keeping our children safe.”
Watch the full press conference here:
One week after the incident at César E. Chávez Elementary School, GRPS says a loaded gun was found inside a third grader’s backpack at Stocking Elementary School.
In total, four guns were seized at GRPS during the 2022–23 school year.
The recent gun seizures culminated in a district-wide ban on backpacks until further notice.
GRPD says trigger locks are available for free at their headquarters.
READ MORE: Backpacks banned from GRPS after loaded gun found on 3rd grader
