The father of the 2-year-old Howell child who died Sunday after gaining access to an unsecured firearm is an officer with the Dearborn Police Department, according to multiple news reports.
The shooting happened at about 6 p.m. Sunday in a home in the 1900 block of Oak Squire Lane in the Rolling Oaks subdivision off Byron Road and north of M-59.
The Detroit Free Press reports that according to Livingston County property records, the home is owned by David and Tonya Lacey.
The Dearborn Police Department issued a statement saying that the incident is a “very serious personal family matter,” and that it respects “the privacy of the officer and his family during this difficult time.”
According to reporting from the Detroit Free Press, Lacey was involved in a controversy in 2012 when he pulled over a car and became upset with a passenger for not disclosing she had HIV. He issued her a ticket for illegal marijuana possession and she later sued the City of Dearborn, which agreed to pay her $40,000.
The investigation into the toddler’s death by the Howell Police Department is ongoing.
