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Updated charges announced after toddler shot in car

LANSING, Mich. -- A grand jury indictment has added two new federal defendants connected to a two-year-old boy's accidental shooting death in October.

U.S. Attorney Mark Totten of Grand Rapids traveled to Lansing on Wednesday, where he, police and the A-T-F outlined the charges at a news conference. They were joined by the Lansing Police Department and the Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office. More specifically, by James Deir, Detroit Field Division Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, State of Michigan’s Chief Medical Executive.

Totten said that 43-year-old Avis Coward got out of a car at a gas station and went inside, leaving the 26-year-old mother, Emma Hoover, and the toddler inside the car. One minute later, a bullet hole appeared on a surveillance-camera video. Totten says it showed that Huver then got out of the car holding the boy, whose face was bloody. The gun then fell out of the car.

"Mr. Coward then returned to the car, picked up the gun from the ground and put it back in the car. The surveillance video also showed that Mr. Coward used his hand to break out the window where the bullet hole had appeared," Totten said.

The news conference was livestreamed on the U.S. Attorney's Facebook page.

Totten says a grand jury indictment includes new charges against Avis Coward, and adds two new federal defendants. Coward already was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. He and a 26-year-old Lansing woman, Gina Schieberl, are now charged with conspiracy to tamper with evidence. The mother, Emma Huver, is now charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Here is more information extracted from the U.S. Attorney's Office news release:

“For the first time ever, gun violence is the leading cause of death for kids in America,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “Nothing more horribly illustrates this crisis than the death of an innocent two-year-old child. The cure demands an all-hands approach and my office will play its part by ensuring accountability for those who put children in harm’s way.”

As alleged, on October 24, 2023, Avis Coward got out of a car at a Lansing gas station and went inside, leaving a two-year-old child and his mother, Ms. Huver, in the car. Surveillance video showed that a minute later, a bullet hole appeared in the car window. The mother got out of the car holding her child, who had blood on his face from a gunshot wound. As she did so, Coward’s gun fell out of the car. Huver handed the child to Coward, who then passed the child to a third person who took the victim into the gas station and attempted to control the bleeding until medical personnel arrived. Coward returned to the car, picked up the gun off the ground, and put it back in the car. The surveillance video also showed Coward use his hand to break out the front passenger window, which had the bullet hole. Coward then drove away. The child later died from his injuries.

The tampering charges concern attempts by Defendant Coward and Schieberl to hide or destroy evidence in this case, including the car, which was later found burned-out and abandoned in a field in Lansing, and a .45 caliber Springfield Armory semiautomatic pistol, the barrel of which was found disassembled and hidden in the wall of a house in Lansing.

“The allegations in this case represent the most horrific side of gun ownership and the tragic unintended consequences associated with poor choices. Avis Coward is prohibited from lawfully possessing a firearm. He chose to possess an illegal firearm and to leave a loaded firearm unsecured in a vehicle with a toddler in it,” said Detroit Field Division Special Agent in Charge James Deir. “In the aftermath, as alleged, Avis Coward chose to tamper with evidence in an attempt to avoid blame in this dreadful situation.”

“We are thankful for the support of U.S. Attorney Mark Totten and his office against the gun crime that has had a grip on the Lansing area for too long,” said Lansing Police Chief Ellery Sosebee. “Our community deserves better, and with partnerships like this, we are moving in the right direction to combat the gun issues faced every day in this city, state, and country.”   

“Gun violence is a national crisis and the leading cause of death of our children so it’s best to have strong law enforcement partnerships to address this crisis and protect our children,” said Ingham County Prosecuting Attorney John J. Dewane. “Locally and nationally, we have far too many senseless, preventable deaths because of children having access to firearms. No child should ever have access to a loaded firearm. No child should ever be in danger of being shot under any circumstances. My office, in collaboration with U. S. Attorney’s Office, will hold offenders accountable when children are victims of gun violence.”

“Gun violence is a public health concern,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, State of Michigan Chief Medical Executive. “Many of the strategies that have been used to impact motor vehicle accidents and tobacco use—including education and community outreach—can be applied to community violence prevention. Let’s work together to keep Michigan children and families safe.

Gun violence is an acute problem across the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. firearm homicide rate in 2021 was the highest documented since 1993. While the numbers have slightly declined since 2021, they remain high.

In 2021, for the first time ever, firearm-related injuries became the leading cause of death for American children, ages 1-19, according to the New England Journal of Medicine (see also here).

While gun violence has the potential to impact everyone, recent studies show that gun violence has a disparate impact on people of color. For example, a recent study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, shows that the disparity in shooting injuries among children before and after the pandemic in four major cities approximately tripled as between white children and children of color (Black, Hispanic, Asian).

This week, in conjunction with the Justice Department’s Violent Crime Reduction Summit, the Department released a Violent Crime Reduction Roadmap, which outlines ten actionable steps to help reduce gun violence and identifies federal resources to support these efforts.

This case was investigated by the Lansing Police Department, Michigan State Police, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. It is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (“PSN”), a program bringing together federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.

The charges in an indictment are merely accusations, and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.

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U.S. Attorney Mark Totten announces updated charges related to a two-year-old boy's shooting death, at a news conference Wednesday morning in Lansing. Photo: A livestream screen capture from the U.S. Attorney's Facebook page.

Surveillance image shows gun that police say fell to the ground.Photo: Images provided by U.S. Attorney's Office of Western Michigan

Investigators say the tampering charges stem from alleged attempts by Defendant Coward and Schieberl to hide or destroy evidence in this case, including the car, which was later found burned-out and abandoned in a field in Lansing.Photo: From U.S. Attorney's Office


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