Wayne County parents to be sentenced in deadly accidental shooting of 5-year-old

Child dies from self-inflicted gunshot wound

Heather LeBlanc, 29, and Timithy Gravel, 32 (Westland Police Department)

WESTLAND, Mich. – A Westland mother and father will be sentenced in the accidental shooting of their young child.

The shooting happened in the 33000 block of Alamo Court in Westland on Nov. 7, 2024. According to police, the 5-year-old child had access to an unsecured gun and shot himself inside the home. The child died from his injuries that evening.

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Timithy Gravel, 32, and Heather LeBlanc, 29, were arrested for violating Michigan’s Safe Storage Law, leading to the child’s death.

Gravel took a plea deal and is expected to be sentenced on May 14, 2025.

LeBlanc pleaded guilty to her charge and is expected to be sentenced on May 14, 2025.


About the Author
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Samantha Sayles is an Oakland University alumna who’s been writing Michigan news since 2022. Before joining the ClickOnDetroit team, she wrote stories for WILX in Lansing and WEYI in Flint.