A Michigan man has been arrested after a 2-year-old boy accidentally shot and killed himself inside an SUV late last month, authorities say.
Avis Coward, 44, stands accused of one count of being a felon in possession of a handgun over the tragic incident, according to a continuation of a criminal complaint obtained by Law&Crime.
The charge was filed in federal court on Tuesday.
An announcement regarding the case was made by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan on Wednesday.
“Death of child by gunfire is a story that should never be written,” U.S. Attorney Mark Totten said in a press release. “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.”
Late in the afternoon on Oct. 24, a white GMC Yukon pulled into gas station in Lansing and parked near the gas pumps, surveillance video stills included in the federal court filing show. Two minutes after that, Coward got out of the Yukon’s front passenger seat and then headed toward the gas station, prosecutors allege.
“At 3:04 pm, a woman exited the front passenger seat holding a two-year-old child who had blood on his face,” the document reads. “The woman was later identified as the child’s mother. As the mother got out of the car, a gun fell on the ground.”
Next, the boy was handed to the defendant. Coward then handed the child over to another person standing nearby, the continuation of the complaint says. The boy was taken inside by the third adult, who tried, in vain, to control the bleeding.
Within seconds, Coward is seen on the footage beginning to close the Yukon’s front passenger door — and then stopping to pick up the gun and put it back inside the vehicle, the document alleges.
Left: Avis Coward allegedly pictured next to a gun; Right: a burned out GMC Yukon. (U.S. Department of Justice)
“[The defendant] also used his hand to break out the front passenger window, which had the bullet hole,” the court filing continues. “[The defendant] got into the driver’s seat and drove the Yukon away. It was determined that the child had a gunshot wound to his head. He died of his injury. The mother spoke with police. She said that after her friend, ‘Avis,’ got out of the car, her child got into the front seat. She said that she was on the phone and not paying attention when she heard an ‘explosion’ and saw that her child had shot himself in the head.”
Coward was arrested later that same day — wearing different clothes than those seen in the surveillance footage — with glass shards on one of his pants legs, authorities allege. In a series of recorded jailhouse phone calls, the defendant allegedly instructs a man and a woman to retrieve his “phone” and his “other phone” from a specific location near a fence, the court document says.
According to federal prosecutors, the man who Coward called was arrested on Oct. 31. That man allegedly told police he was not actually looking for — nor did he actually find — two phones, but, rather, two handguns. Law enforcement believe one of those guns was the one used by the child to accidentally kill himself.
Also on Oct. 31, the white Yukon was allegedly found, heavily burned out in a field in Lansing, investigators allege.
“This case is a parent’s worst nightmare,” FBI Detroit Field Division Special Agent in Charge James Deir said. “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.”
Coward is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to six prior felony convictions — at least two of which were violent crimes.
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