A 6-year-old boy in Ohio brought a loaded semi-automatic handgun to school in his backpack, police said.

The incident happened Tuesday morning at Kids Care Elementary, a free public charter school in Columbus, police said.

A loaded gun was recovered in a 6-year-old's backpack at a private school in Columbus, Ohio. Columbus Division of Police

The boy, who is not being identified, told a classmate about the gun who then alerted a teacher, the Columbus Division of Police said in a press release on Facebook.

Detective David Bucy said at a news conference that the child took the gun from his home where he lives with his grandparents. The boy's grandfather had reported the weapon missing.

The child was taken to the police station and was interviewed with a guardian present. Authorities don't have a clear idea of why the boy brought the gun to school.

"We really don't know why the kid brought the gun to school except for show-and-tell or bragging or showing off," Bucy said.

Charges are not expected against the child "due to competency and his age," police said. An investigation into the incident is ongoing.

A woman who answered the phone at Kids Care Elementary declined to comment.