CORPUS CHRISTI – Corpus Christi police found a four-year-old child with a loaded gun at a school campus. Now, one of the child’s parents is behind bars for multiple charges stemming from the discovery.
An off-duty Corpus Christi police officer called in for backup around 9:15 a.m. Wednesday, after being informed that a child had a loaded handgun on the campus, located in the 1100 block of Villarreal.
Authorities arrived at the school and were able to take possession of the weapon safely. There were no reports of it being discharged and no injuries.
The child’s parents were identified as the weapon’s owners, and police made their way to the child’s home.
The child’s father, 30-year-old Paul Torres, was arrested and charged with making a firearm accessible to children and abandoning or endangering a child.
CCPD is reminding parents to safely store their weapons away from their children and have ammunition locked away separately.
“Keys for the guns and ammunition should be located out of reach of children, away from weapons and ammunition. Check frequently to make sure the items are stored properly and remain secure,” CCPD said in a statement.