01/08/2026
5-Year Old Found With Gun
Cape Coral Police say 51-year old James Edward Wilson has been arrested after his child was found with a 9mm handgun in his backpack at Trafalgar Elementary school.
The Lee County School District requires all students, staff members, and guests to be screened by their OPENGATE Weapons Detection System before entering any campus. During today’s screening before school, a 5-year-old student was found to have a loaded firearm in their backpack. The student said they knew nothing about it.
Detectives in the Cape Coral Violent Crimes Unit interviewed the parents at their home, and the father admitted to putting the weapon in the backpack to transport it to his car. He then forgot to remove the weapon.
Wilson has been charged with:
1 count of Child Neglect, Felony
1 count of Improper Storage of a Firearm, Misdemeanor
DCF has been notified.