‘I was mortified’: Community reacts after child brings gun to Petersburg preschool
PETERSBURG, Va. (WRIC) — A Petersburg community is shaken and a mother is facing charges after a child came to preschool with a loaded gun in their backpack. Parents of students who go to the Westview Early Childhood Education Center remain concerned after the loaded handgun was found in the 5-year-old student's backpack on Wednesday, Dec. 4. “It was tragic, but it could have been worse -- so, in that case, we're thankful,” said Pat Hines, whose grandson and great-grandson attend the preschool. Hines said that, when she heard that a student had been found with a gun, she had one thought. PREVIOUS: Petersburg mother arrested after loaded gun found in 5-year-old child’s backpack "I was mortified," she said. "I was mortified that 3 and 4-year-olds would have access to a firearm.” A teacher saw the weapon in a student's backpack and immediately called school leaders, who notified the School Resource Officer. They took possession of the gun until police arrived. The gun found in a Westview Early Childhood Education Center student's backpack in Petersburg. (Photo: Petersburg Bureau of Police) Thankfully, nobody was hurt -- but Hines said it should never have gotten to this point. “We as parents and grandparents, we have a responsibility in that we have to be accountable,” Hines said. “There is nowhere in the universe [where] I think that a 3 and 4-year-old should have been exposed to that type of weapon, where it could be in their bookbag and taken out of the house.” The unidentified student's mother, 26-year-old Brianne Lucas, was charged with felony child neglect and reckless handling of a firearm. She is being held without bail until her next court date. Westview Early Childhood Education Center is part of the Petersburg City Public School system which, as of 2023, requires clear backpacks for its students.
VENN
PETERSBURG, Va. (WRIC) — A Petersburg community is shaken and a mother is facing charges after a child came to preschool with a loaded gun in their backpack.
Parents of students who go to the Westview Early Childhood Education Center remain concerned after the loaded handgun was found in the 5-year-old student's backpack on Wednesday, Dec. 4.
“It was tragic, but it could have been worse -- so, in that case, we're thankful,” said Pat Hines, whose grandson and great-grandson attend the preschool.
Hines said that, when she heard that a student had been found with a gun, she had one thought.
PREVIOUS: Petersburg mother arrested after loaded gun found in 5-year-old child’s backpack
"I was mortified," she said. "I was mortified that 3 and 4-year-olds would have access to a firearm.”
A teacher saw the weapon in a student's backpack and immediately called school leaders, who notified the School Resource Officer. They took possession of the gun until police arrived.
The gun found in a Westview Early Childhood Education Center student's backpack in Petersburg. (Photo: Petersburg Bureau of Police)
Thankfully, nobody was hurt -- but Hines said it should never have gotten to this point.
“We as parents and grandparents, we have a responsibility in that we have to be accountable,” Hines said. “There is nowhere in the universe [where] I think that a 3 and 4-year-old should have been exposed to that type of weapon, where it could be in their bookbag and taken out of the house.”
The unidentified student's mother, 26-year-old Brianne Lucas, was charged with felony child neglect and reckless handling of a firearm. She is being held without bail until her next court date.
Westview Early Childhood Education Center is part of the Petersburg City Public School system which, as of 2023, requires clear backpacks for its students.
