Feds say suspects in toddler's shooting death in Lansing destroyed evidence

LANSING — Federal prosecutors announced a new round of charges related to the October death of a toddler who died from a gunshot.

The move adds charges against Avis Coward, who federal prosecutors charged in November, and Emma Huver, the mother of 2-year-old King Muhammad who Ingham County prosecutors charged last month. Also charged is 26-year-old Gina Renee Schieberl.

Coward had previously been charged with felon in possession of a firearm, but a grand jury indictment returned on Tuesday added charges of conspiracy to tamper with evidence and tampering with evidence, charges also brought against Schieberl.

They each face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Huver faces seven felony counts in Ingham County, including involuntary manslaughter, second-degree child abuse and various weapons charges. The federal indictment on Tuesday includes one count against Huver for felon in possession of a firearm.

In a statement, Heath Lynch, an attorney for Coward, said that "all can agree that the death of the child in this case was horribly tragic, and our sympathies go out to the family," and emphasized that Coward is innocent until proven guilty.

"The process needs to run its course before anyone rushes to judgment, even under circumstances when there is pressure to hold someone responsible for an unimaginable loss of a child," Lynch added.

A message was left seeking comment from an attorney for Huver. There's no attorney of record listed for Schieberl.

Prosecutors say charges also about accountability

U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten was joined during Wednesday's news conference by Ingham County Prosecuting Attorney John Dewane, Lansing Police Chief Ellery Sosebee, James Deir of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, the chief medical executive for Michigan.

All five talked about rising gun violence and in particular its impacts on kids in Michigan. Totten recounted five other incidents this year where children 15 or younger were killed by guns, many hit by stray bullets or accidental discharges.

"We should never get used to these types of stories," Totten said. "As the grim statistics testify, gun violence is now a public health crisis."

Dewane, whose office charged Huver, said there needs to be accountably for people who have illegal weapons or allow children to access to firearms, which his office is seeking in this and other cases.

"No 2-year-old child should ever have access to a loaded firearm," he said. "No responsible parent should ever leave a loaded firearm to be accessed..."

Bagdasarian said that historically vehicle crashes have been the leading cause of death for children in the state, but in five of the past 10 years, it's been firearm deaths.

She encouraged residents to safely store firearms at home and get free gun locks available through local law enforcement.

"Every child deserves safety," Bagdasarian said. "Every child deserves the opportunity to grow up and reach their full potential."

Court records detail how 2-year-old died

Around 3 p.m. on Oct. 24, Coward and Huver were in an SUV with the boy and pulled into a gas station in the 3000 block of Dunckel Road in Lansing, according to court records. Coward got out of the front passenger seat and walked away from the vehicle.

About a minute later, a bullet hole appeared in a window and Huver got out of the SUV holding her son King who had blood on his face from a gunshot, Totten said on Wednesday.

King was later pronounced dead.

Police arrested Coward the day of the shooting and, in recorded jail phone calls afterward, federal law enforcement claim in their filing that he directed an unnamed person to retrieve several firearms, including one later discovered disassembled, from locations he'd hidden them.

About a week after the shooting, Lansing police officers found the vehicle in a field. It was heavily damaged by fire, according to court records.

Coward and Schieberl, according to Tuesday's indictment, worked together to destroy and conceal the SUV and two firearms.

State Journal reporter Ken Palmer contributed. Contact reporter Matt Mencarini at 517-377-1026 or mjmencarini@lsj.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @MattMencarini.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: New charges filed in death of 2-year-old killed at Lansing gas station