Mother of Lansing 2-year-old that was killed in accidental shooting sentenced to 5-years behind bars

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - The mother of a toddler who accidentally shot and killed himself in Lansing has been sentenced on Monday.

Emma Huver, who faced multiple charges, including second-degree murder for the death of her 2-year-old son, King Muhammad, has been sentenced to 60 months behind bars for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

In 2023, her son got his hands on a gun while they were in a car at the Sunoco gas station on Dunkel Road. That’s when he accidentally shot himself and died the next day.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) said Huver 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 people from Lansing were charged.

The DOJ said 44-year-old Avis Coward pleaded guilty to possessing the purple gun and another pistol. Meanwhile, 27-year-old Gina Schieberl also pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence.

On Oct. 24, 2023, the DOJ said Coward got out of a car at a Lansing gas station and went inside, leaving the two-year-old child and his mother, Huver, in the car. Video from the scene 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.

Coward’s gun then fell out of the car.

Huver was then seen handing her child to Coward, who then gave the child to a third person who took him to the gas station to treat the bleeding. The DOJ said Coward returned to the car, picked up the gun off the ground, and put it back in the car. Then, Coward used his hand to break out the front passenger window, which had a bullet hole and drove the car away from the scene.

Police later found the car Coward drove away with burned out and abandoned in a field in Lansing with a .45 caliber Springfield Armory semiautomatic pistol, the barrel of which was found disassembled and hidden in the wall of a house in Lansing.

Officials said Coward is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 2, and Schieberl will be sentenced on Oct. 21.

Previous coverage: Mother of Lansing 2-year-old killed in accidental shooting pleas guilty to one charge

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