Calera police officers recently caught two young people with firearms near a playground. Now, they are calling for parents to take action before tragedy strikes.

Firearms are one of the leading causes of death among Alabama children and teens, according to a 2024 Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions study based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Children carrying handguns at a subdivision clubhouse, playground and pool area is ridiculous and puts everyone including themselves in danger,” Calera Police Chief David Hyche said in a Facebook post.

In the United States in 2022, there were 2,526 gun deaths among 1 to 17-year-olds, averaging nearly seven per day. Gun death rates in this age range increased by 106% since 2013 and have been the leading cause of death among children since 2020, according to the study.

This past weekend, the Calera Police Department received a call reporting suspicious activities involving juveniles, one wearing a mask, in the Waterford clubhouse parking lot.

A sergeant and a patrol officer responded to the scene and asked one of the juveniles to remove his hand from his hoodie pocket. The juvenile refused so the sergeant moved the suspect’s hand and saw that he was concealing a handgun.

The handgun was recovered and the suspect was arrested.

The patrol officer approached the second juvenile but he refused to comply and started running away. The officer pursued the suspect on foot and saw the suspect throw down a handgun.

The handgun was thrown in an area with small children present so the officer secured the handgun and lost sight of the suspect. Police received information that the suspect left the area in a vehicle.

The second suspect was later identified and both have been referred for juvenile prosecution.

“Parents, if you believe your kids are carrying guns, selling or using drugs or involved in gangs, don’t just take action after a tragedy occurs, take action now. Call us, talk to our SROs, we will do what we can to help. Our CASE program has connections with resources that are available to help parents and students.”

“I’m proud of these two officers and I’m grateful that this situation ended without tragedy but we are seeing violent crime involving kids and guns all over our state and country at alarming rates.”

These are local resources and support Alabama children, teens and families can turn to.

The United Way Crisis Center hotline can be reached at (205) 323-7777 and their Youth Talk Line is available for children ages 6-18 at (205) 328-5465.

Crisis Services of North Alabama provides 24/7 crisis counseling at (256) 716-1000.

You can find additional resources for those in crisis on the Alabama Public Health website.

The National Suicide Hotline, 988, is available 24/7 in both English and Spanish.