LANSING, Mich — A Lansing man who federal prosecutors say left his unsecured handgun in his car that a toddler used to fatally shoot himself pleaded guilty to a gun charge.
Avis Damone Coward, 44, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm this week.
The charge stems back to an incident that happened on Oct. 24 at a Lansing area gas station. According to authorities, Coward got out of his car and went inside, leaving a 2-year-old child and the boy's mother in the car.
The mother told police that after her friend Avis got out of the car, her child got into the front seat. She told police she was on her phone and not paying attention when she heard an explosion, and saw her child had shot himself in the head.
The woman got out of the car holding the child, who had blood on his face from a gunshot wound. That's when Coward's gun fell out of the car.
When Coward returned to his car, authorities say he picked up the gun that fell out and put it back into the car.
Authorities found him and arrested him later that day. They did not find his car.
While in jail, investigators said Coward made phone calls to friends to have them get rid of his "phones." Investigators believe Coward was actually referencing two firearms.
Detectives recovered two weapons. One of the handgun's barrels was wrapped in paper towels and hidden inside a home's insulation.
On Halloween, investigators found the car heavily damaged by fire in a Lansing field.
That was traced to codefendant Gina Schieberl, who pleaded guilty this week to conspiring with Coward to tamper with evidence.
The boy's mother, Emma Huver, also previously pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
“There was nothing inevitable about the senseless death of this two-year-old child,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “This incident is just one example of the grim reality we face: that gun violence is now the number one cause of death for our youngest Americans, ages birth to 19. We cannot bring this innocent child back, but these guilty pleas mark an important step toward securing a measure of justice and sending the message that careless gun owners will be held accountable.”
Authorities say Coward was previously convicted of multiple felonies, including carjacking, breaking and entering, and fleeing a police officer.
Schieberl will be sentenced on Oct. 21. Huver will be sentenced on Sept. 16. It is unclear when Coward will be sentenced.
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