Man Arrested After 2-Year-Old Boy Accidentally Shoots and Kills Himself in Michigan SUV

Accident – Death – Obituary News : Michigan Man Arrested After 2-Year-Old Accidentally Shoots Himself Inside SUV

A tragic incident unfolded late last month in Michigan when a 2-year-old boy accidentally shot and killed himself inside an SUV. The authorities have now arrested a 44-year-old man, Avis Coward, who stands accused of being a felon in possession of a handgun related to the incident. The charge was filed in federal court on Tuesday.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan made an announcement regarding the case on Wednesday. U.S. Attorney Mark Totten expressed his sadness over the incident, stating, “Death of a child by gunfire is a story that should never be written. Yet beginning in 2022, and for the first time ever, gun violence has become the number one cause of death for kids in America. As this swelling epidemic reaches our most innocent, my office will use every resource available to secure full accountability and prevent future harm.”

According to the details provided in a continuation of a criminal complaint obtained by Law&Crime, the incident took place late in the afternoon on October 24. Surveillance video stills included in the federal court filing show a white GMC Yukon pulling into a gas station in Lansing and parking near the gas pumps. Two minutes later, Avis Coward got out of the front passenger seat of the Yukon and headed towards the gas station, as alleged by prosecutors.

At 3:04 pm, a woman exited the front passenger seat of the Yukon holding the 2-year-old child, who had blood on his face, the document reveals. The woman, later identified as the child’s mother, accidentally dropped a gun on the ground as she got out of the car. Coward, the defendant, then took the child from the mother and handed him over to another person standing nearby. The boy was then taken inside by the third adult, who tried unsuccessfully to control the bleeding.

The surveillance footage shows Coward picking up the gun from the ground and putting it back inside the vehicle before closing the Yukon’s front passenger door, as alleged in the court document.

Tragically, the child sustained a gunshot wound to his head and died from the injury. The mother, who was on the phone and not paying attention at the time, heard an “explosion” and saw that her child had shot himself in the head.

Later that same day, Coward was arrested while wearing different clothes than those seen in the surveillance footage. Authorities allege that he had glass shards on one of his pants legs. In recorded jailhouse phone calls, Coward allegedly instructed a man and a woman to retrieve his “phone” and “other phone” from a specific location near a fence. However, the man who Coward contacted told the police that he did not find any phones but instead found two handguns. Investigators believe that one of those guns was the one used by the child to accidentally kill himself.

On October 31, the white Yukon was discovered heavily burned out in a field in Lansing, further adding to the tragic nature of the case.

FBI Detroit Field Division Special Agent in Charge James Deir commented on the heartbreaking incident, stating, “This case is a parent’s worst nightmare. It’s heartbreaking and reinforces the importance of responsible gun ownership and safety storage. A child should never be left alone with a gun. Leaving the gun at home in a secure gun safe or using a safety device, such as a gun lock, prevent tragedies like this.”

It should be noted that Coward is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to six prior felony convictions, at least two of which were violent crimes.

This incident serves as a sobering reminder of the importance of responsible gun ownership and the need to ensure that firearms are stored safely, out of reach of children. The tragic loss of this young life highlights the devastating consequences that can result from negligence in handling firearms. As the legal proceedings continue, it is hoped that full accountability will be achieved and that measures will be taken to prevent similar incidents in the future.

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