Texas dad arrested after 3-year-old brings gun to pre-K
A Texas dad was arrested Tuesday after a gun was found in his 3-year-old child’s backpack inside a San Antonio pre-K.
Pete Robles, 35, was taken into custody after a teacher found a firearm in the toddler’s bag. A school security guard notified San Antonio police, who made the arrest, according to CNN. The student was placed in the custody of child protective services. His father was reportedly booked in the Bexar County jail and given a Sept. 12 court date.
San Antonio Police Chief William McManus credited “swift action” by school officials and law enforcement for managing the situation.
“To provide further assurance, [police] will maintain an increased uniformed presence at the school for the foreseeable future,” McManus said.
In 2023, there have been at least 240 unintentional shootings by children across the country, resulting in 88 deaths and 160 injuries, according to Everytown for Gun Safety. More than two dozen of those shootings took place in Texas, which leads the nation in that category.
Those statistics include a 3-year-old boy who fatally shot himself in Wharton, Texas in February after finding him mom’s gun on a nightstand, according to local station KHOU. Weeks later, a 3-year-old Houston girl killed her 4-year-old sibling with a firearm she came across in an apartment where they were playing.
Prosecutors have been known to bring charges against parents whose children are accused of gun violence.
Newport News, Va., mom Deja Taylor pleaded guilty to felony child neglect Tuesday after her 6-year-old boy shot a teacher with her 9-mm pistol in January.
Jennifer and James Crumbley, whose son teenage Ethan killed four students in his Michigan high school in 2021, were charged with involuntary manslaughter after allegedly knowingly providing him with a firearm, despite warnings he might become violent. They are currently fighting those charges.
