Loaded gun found at Owings Mills children's indoor playground angers parents: "Makes my heart sink"
BALTIMORE — Parents are frustrated after learning a gun got into a children's indoor playground this past weekend in Owings Mills.
Baltimore County Police officers took the gun after they were called to the Hyper Kidz facility on Cronridge Drive Sunday afternoon. A police spokesperson said no injuries were reported.
"It makes my heart sink," parent Lauren Donoghue said. "I'm already at a point in my life where I walk into a public place and the first thing I think is, 'Where am I going to hide if someone comes in with a gun?"
"It's unacceptable"
Parents who brought their children to Hyper Kidz on Tuesday said they initially didn't know a loaded gun was found at the indoor playground over the weekend.
"I know a lot of nannies in the area and Owings Mills is like really a good central location for us," Donoghue said. "A lot of times, we'll meet at that Hyper Kidz, play with the kids and everything."
Donoghue expressed her frustrations.
"It's unacceptable," she said. "You don't know how lucky you are that you can still sleep at night and that nothing bad happened."
Donoghue cited other safety concerns at the facility.
"Like cords," she said. "One time I went there and there was an open outlet in the kid's play area."
Seeking transparency
Parents are seeking a response from the company.
"The first thing I did was look at their social media and there was nothing there, absolutely nothing," she said. "It's just extremely concerning. Like I understand accidents happen."
Others took to social media as well. One person wrote under the company's Facebook page, "Speak up and let us know you will be keeping our kids safe..."
The company CEO told the Baltimore Banner they are working with police to identify the 'negligent parent' who dropped the gun. WJZ reached out to the Hyper Kidz for comment. They have not yet responded to our request.
"I can't imagine the heartbreak that a situation like this could have caused," Donoghue said.
Donoghue doesn't plan on returning to the business.
"It stinks because I can't go there anymore," she said. "I can't, in good conscience as a parent, as a caregiver."
