Gun Found In Teddy Bear By NY Child On Christmas
A little girl in New York received a big surprise when she found a gun inside her donated teddy bear.
The gun was found by the 8-year-old foster daughter of Sheeba Anderson on Christmas morning. Anderson, a 42-year-old resident of Harlem, received several gifts that were available through a donation program from St. Anthony's Church on Dec. 20. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until the young girl, whose name has not been revealed, opened her present on Christmas and found a dangerous weapon hidden inside.
"I heard her say, 'Look, Miss Sheeba, I found a gun!' She was waving it around and playing with it," Anderson said, as reported by The New York Post.
The incident was very unnerving for the foster mother of six children.
"This is something you never expect on Christmas," Anderson continued. "I feel like we narrowly avoided what could have been a terrible disaster."
Luckily the weapon was not loaded. Anderson then checked all of the other donated presents and called the police.
Authorities are in the process of trying to identify where the weapon came from, but the gun allegedly was missing the firing pin, bullets and any visible serial numbers. The make and model of the gun have not been released.
Trying to find the previous owner may be difficult for authorities, as the donations to the church charity drive were made anonymously. The discovery of the weapon in the child's toy worried more than just Anderson as city officials are getting involved to discover the true nature of the hidden gun.
"We are concerned when any potential risk in a foster home comes to our attention, and are working to ensure that all of the children in the home remain safe," a spokesperson for the New York City's Administration for Children's Services was quoted saying by NBC New York.
