HENRICO COUNTY, Va. β A gun accidentally discharged during a youth soccer game at Holman Middle School in Henrico County on Saturday morning, leaving families with questions about safety and accountability 48 hours after the incident.
The firearm belonged to a retired federal law enforcement officer, according to Crime Insider sources. The Secret Service confirmed they are assisting Henrico Police with the investigation but said the individual is not a current employee.
Henrico Police said the firearm fell out of a spectator's bag and accidentally discharged during the Shady Grove YMCA soccer games. No one was injured in the incident, and no charges have been filed at this time.
"Someone could have been injured or killed," grandparent Evan Quimby said.
"It's alarming to say the least,β said parent Jessica Mitchell.
Families said the games continued after the incident, and they said they received few answers until hours later when the YMCA sent two emails explaining that the incident involved a member of federal law enforcement who is legally permitted to carry a weapon.
Parents are demanding answers about why the incident occurred and why no charges have been filed.
"I just wondered, A, why was there someone on school premises with the gun? B, why was this person carrying an unsecured, loaded gun around children?" Quimby said.
"Why are charges not being filed? Why are we not, you know, holding this person accountable for what they did, because they were there as a civilian? What training did you have what was missed that this even happened? You know, it would be concerning for that to happen with any owner of a gun, but being that it was law enforcement, you expect them to have a certain level of training that just, what went wrong,β Mitchell added.
Henrico Police declined to answer questions about the incident because of the ongoing investigation.
Attorney Mark Bong, who has experience representing law enforcement officers, said retired federal agents are allowed to carry weapons under the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act. According to Virginia law, retired law enforcement agents can carry guns on school campuses because they are exempt from the federal Gun-Free School Zone Act, which prohibits firearms on or near school grounds.
Bong said the Commonwealth's Attorney has the option to bring unlawful discharge of a firearm charges. While the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act and Virginia Code exceptions for retired law enforcement officers may provide a defense to possession charges on school grounds, he said they do not shield the officer from liability for accidental or negligent discharge of the firearm.
Bong said the success of any defense will depend on whether the officer met qualifications under LEOSA and Virginia Code, as well as the specific circumstances of the discharge.
The incident has left families seeking accountability and reassurance about safety at youth sporting events.
"I have a six-year-old who was there, who now is like asking all these questions about guns, and was that a gunshot?" Michell said.
She added, "I had kids out there, my daughter was on the field. And it's just really scary to think that we had no idea this person had the weapon, and for it to accidentally go off in that place where there's so many children just freely running around, thinking it's a safe environment, just started to really upset me."
The YMCA said the individual directly violated their policy because firearms of any kind are not allowed by anyone. The organization issued a statement from Chief Experience Officer Chris Hughes:
"The individual involved has been banned from entering YMCA property or participating in any present or future YMCA programs or events," Hughes stated. "We are thankful to the parents and staff that helped to resolve the incident quickly. We will coordinate with law enforcement to discuss safety measures for those attending events to prevent incidents like this from happening again."
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
π²: CONNECT WITH US
Blue Sky | Facebook | Instagram | X | Threads | TikTok | YouTube
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, click here.
