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5-year-old suspended after pointing stick that 'resembled a gun' at fellow student

HOKE COUNTY, N.C. — A woman in east North Carolina is outraged after her 5-year-old daughter was suspended from school over a stick that resembled a gun.

School officials in Hoke County said the kindergartner threatened to shoot and kill a fellow student.

Her mother said the girl was simply playing a game of imagination called "king and queen" with her two best friends.

“Khloe was the queen, Jasmine was the princess and I was the guard,” the 5-year-old said. “I shot [a boy] and he told the teacher on me."

School officials said the girl's one-day suspension was based on a zero tolerance policy that makes sure every child has a safe learning environment.

The girl's wants the school to apologize and tell her daughter that it's OK to have an imagination.