Mother Sentenced For Illegal Possession Of A Gun In Case Related To The Accidental Discharge Death Of Her Two Year Old Child

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN - U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten today announced that Emma Huver, 26, of Lansing, was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Huver previously pleaded guilty to possessing a purple 9-millimeter Smith & Wesson semiautomatic pistol in her car on October 24, 2023, when her two-year-old son suffered a gunshot wound and later died. She had previously been convicted of a felony drug offense in 2020.

"Today's sentencing brings us closer to securing a measure of justice for this senseless loss of life," said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. "The tragic death of this two-year-old boy, due to the accidental discharge of a gun that wasn't properly stored, could have been prevented. We must keep guns out of the hands of those who cannot legally possess them and do everything we can in our fight against the gun violence epidemic that is now the number one cause of death for our youngest, ages 0-19."

Two other Lansing residents are also charged in the indictment. Avis Coward, 44, pleaded guilty to possessing the purple gun and another pistol. Gina Schieberl, 27, pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence. Coward is scheduled to be sentenced on October 2 and Schieberl is scheduled to be sentenced on October 21.

As alleged, on October 24, 2023, Coward got out of a car at a Lansing gas station and went inside, leaving a two-year-old child and the child's mother, Huver, in the car. Surveillance video showed that a minute later a bullet hole appeared in the car window. Huver 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.

Police later found the car, which was 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.

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.

Resources and information on the safe storage of firearms can be found by reviewing the U.S. Department of Justice Safe Storage of Firearms guide, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention fact sheet, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives pamphlet. Anyone who possesses a gun must follow all local, state, and federal laws.

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.

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