Gun at Cudahy school, boy's father charged with misdemeanor

CUDAHY, Wis. - Editor's note: Court records show the case against the boy's mother was dismissed the day after charges were filed. The report below has been updated. 

The father of a 12-year-old boy, who is accused of bringing a loaded handgun to Cudahy's Lincoln Elementary School, is now charged with a misdemeanor.

Court records show 44-year-old Nan Bin Li is charged with the one misdemeanor count of leaving/storing a loaded firearm near a child. The court dismissed the case against the boy's mother, 40-year-old Xiaoping Wang, a day after she was charged with the same count. The 12-year-old is remaining in juvenile custody.

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Gun found at school

The backstory:

According to police, a Lincoln Elementary student told a teacher they believed the 12-year-old boy had a gun in his backpack on April 30. The backpack was in one part of the school, while the boy was in another part.

The school's principal opened the backpack, saw the gun and called police. The school resource officer secured the gun, and the boy was arrested.

Cudahy police commended the student for speaking up, as well as the teacher and principal for their quick response.

Boy in juvenile court

Dig deeper:

The 12-year-old boy appeared in juvenile court on May 1. Both the state and defense argued the boy should be released to his home on curfew and GPS monitoring; he has no prior referrals, is a good student and has a limited disciplinary record at school.

But the court commissioner said an incident happened several weeks prior in St. Francis, in which he’s alleged to have pointed the gun at other children during an argument in a park. That is why the boy will remain in juvenile custody.

Prosecutors filed a petition against the boy with one felony count of possession of a firearm on school grounds and one misdemeanor count of possession of a dangerous weapon by someone under 18.

A social worker said in court the boy got the gun from a drawer in his home. Both the boy and the boy’s mother were cooperative with law enforcement.

Parents charged

What they're saying:

According to a criminal complaint, the boy found the gun in the nightstand drawer of his parents’ bedroom. He believed the gun belonged to his father. 

Court filings said the boy told police that he took the gun to a park in the St. Francis a few days prior and had it in a fanny pack, which he placed into his backpack. He said he must have forgotten that the gun was in his backpack because, while waiting to be let in for school, he noticed the gun was still there.

However, in a subsequent interview, court filings said the boy admitted he had found the gun a month earlier in his parents’ bedroom, around the time of spring break. He admitted that he had brought the gun to school twice.

Prosecutors said investigators reviewed the boy's cellphone, which revealed photos of the gun. Based on those photos, police said the boy had access to the gun since at least October 2024.

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The boy's mother, Wang, spoke with officers. Court filings said she confirmed that her husband, Li, owned several guns and had purchased the gun in question about five years ago.

Wang said Li kept the gun in a nightstand drawer in their bedroom and kept their other guns in a gun safe. Officers got her consent to search the home, and they found two additional guns in a gun safe in the bedroom. Wang showed officers the nightstand in question. There was not a gun lock or any gun safety device or measure on the nightstand.

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