A 5-year-old boy was taken into custody after police say he brought a gun inside a Memphis elementary school cafeteria, which accidentally went off this morning.

The kindergartener had the handgun in his backpack when he walked into Westside Elementary School in Frayser

According to a statement released by Shelby County Schools, the child was waiting for opening bell in the school cafeteria when the weapon discharged inside the rucksack.

Lethal weapon: A 5-year-old kindergarten student was detained after a gun he had brought into Westside Elementary School in Memphis went off

No injuries have been reported, and school officials immediately seized the bag.

‘There is no evidence at this time of harmful intent,’ the statement read, ‘however, weapons of any kind are prohibited on campuses, and this student will be disciplined in accordance with the state’s zero tolerance policy.’

No child’s play: A girl at the elementary school said the 5-year-old and his friend were pointing fingers at each other, pretending they were guns, when the boy said he had a handgun in his back and reached for it

The incident happened just after 8.15am inside the school on Dawn Drive in Frayser – a poverty-stricken neighborhood with one of the highest crime rates in the city.

Elementary school student who identified herself as Paris told the station MyFox Atlanta that two boys were standing in the cafeteria and pointing fingers at each other as if they were guns when one of the kids told his friend: ‘I got a gun in my backpack.’

According to police, the 5-year-old apparently triggered the handgun as he was pulling it from his bag.

Brikeria Gilkey, a 10-year-old student at the school, told The Commercial Appeal that she heard the shot.

‘We thought it was a balloon that popped,’ she said.

Late Thursday morning, concerned parents began arriving at the school to take their children home, even though classes are still in session.

The Memphis Police Department remained tight-lipped about the circumstances of the incident.

Agency spokeswoman Karen Rudolph would not reveal any additional information, only stating in a brief email to MailOnline that ‘this is an ongoing investigation.’

Read more: Daily Mail