East Harlem, Manhattan (WABC) — An 18-year-old has been charged after the NYPD found a ghost gun hidden in a bust at an East Harlem day care center.
Karen Corley was charged with multiple counts, including unlawful possession of a weapon, endangering the welfare of a child and manufacturing a firearm, officials said. Two other minors were also arrested.
Curley’s mother is the owner of a licensed day care center on East 117th Street. Authorities said she has not been arrested.
Officials said the investigation began when a group of people, including some minors, purchased ghost guns from online retailers, as well as materials needed to 3D print gun components. The suspects are believed to have been using guides on the internet to create ghost guns.
Behind an unlocked door at the daycare, law enforcement discovered a 3D printer, 3D printing tools, plastic filament, two fully printed firearms, a printed assault pistol in the final stages of assembly and an additional 3D printed lower receiver. There were also allegedly fraudulently obtained credit cards.
Two of the guns were loaded with live ammunition, officials said.
“Today is a call to action. We are talking to parents. Please check what your children are doing. Monitor their internet activity. We are also talking to those who think printing 3D guns is the way of the future. You are wrong, “NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban said.
The day care center was run out of an apartment owned by Kohli’s mother.
“When well-made, ghost guns and 3D-printed guns operate just like commercial firearms. In the hands of teenagers, they can cause just as much violence,” said Rebecca Weiner, NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence and Counterterrorism ) explain.
Curley was arraigned Wednesday night. His bail was set at $350,000 cash and $500,000 bond.
“There’s an 18-year-old guy in his room with a 3D printer. He’s not making little robot toys. He’s making guns,” Adams said.
The daycare center was licensed to operate in February 2021 and underwent its last inspection in February this year. During that inspection, the company was cited for three violations and made minor modifications.
“It’s a heartbreaking scenario when you think you’re sending your child to a safe place only to find out it’s a dangerous environment with someone making guns,” Adams said.
The news comes nearly two weeks after four children attending a Bronx day care center were treated for opioid poisoning. One of the victims, one-year-old Nicholas Dominici, is believed to have died from exposure.
In that case, police found drugs under a trap door and a kilogram of fentanyl near the mat where the children were sleeping, as well as various devices used by drug dealers to mix the drugs and crush them into bricks.
Officials said they will take a closer look at the city’s day care inspection process.
“We just want to really make it clear to the parents who send their kids to these centers every day that we are going to be vigilant and we are going to keep changing the rules, just like we have been changing the rules for years, to stay on top of bad people doing bad things in the environments our children are in. ,” Adams said.
Authorities say the popularity of privately manufactured guns is concerning. So far this year, about 290 have been found, and now more than ever, they are 3D printed.
ALSO READ | Daycare center owner’s husband arrested after death of one-year-old: Sources
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