Photo by Robert Michael/picture alliance via Getty Images)
KeErinie King is facing multiple charges after her six-year-old accessed a firearm and brought it to school on Sept. 5. Local police reportedly booked the Memphis mom into the Shelby County Jail but later released her without bond.
According to Fox13 Memphis, the 22-year-old is scheduled to see a judge again on October 4 after appearing in court on Friday (Sept. 6). She’s charged with child abuse, neglect or endangerment, carrying a weapon on school property, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. It’s unclear if King has an attorney.
Given his age, it’s also unclear if the minor will face any legal repercussions in the incident. Also, Memphis PD has not released the six-year-old’s name or photo.
As mentioned, KeErinie King’s son brought the loaded 9mm Ruger handgun to Getter K-8 School this past week. Fox13 cited court documents that claim the child was “passing the weapon to other students in the class.” Eventually, one student alerted an adult staff member about the gun, who later discovered it after searching the backpack of the child.
In response, police arrived at the school shortly before 9 a.m. on Thursday. The Memphis mom admitted to local PD officers that the weapon was hers. However, she claimed to have bought it from an “unknown person.” During their investigation, officers discovered the weapon was stolen property after running its serial number.
Following the incident, the Memphis-Shelby County Schools, which encompasses Getter K-8, released a statement. It credited the school resource officer and leaders with acting quickly in the situation, per WREG-TV. Additionally, the statement said the school district’s priority is “the safety and well-being of all students.”
“We encourage all parents and guardians to check their students backpacks before they come to 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, KeErinie King’s mother believes the situation has been blown out of context. Lakeisha Williams told the local press that the charges implied her daughter willfully gave her son access to the gun or left it lying around.
“We dont have our guns lying around for kids to just go and easily get them. My grandson went out of his way,” Lakeisha said. “He pulled up a little chair and got his mom, and he got a hold of that gun. Sometimes, as parents, maybe we need to not let our kids know exactly where we hide our guns…”
As far as the gun being stolen, Williams advised people to make sure they’re purchasing “clean” guns when buying on the streets.
