On December 24, 2021, a tragedy unfolded in Independence, Missouri, involving the death of 3-year-old White male Benjamin Eugene Cope Jr. Police officers were dispatched to a residence located near Independence and Glenwood Avenues around 4:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve following reports of a shooting. Initial statements provided to law enforcement at the scene suggested the toddler had been struck by gunfire during a drive-by shooting.
However, as investigators interviewed witnesses and examined the evidence, a different narrative emerged regarding the circumstances that led to the child's fatal injury.
Detectives determined that the young boy had not been the victim of a drive-by attack but had instead died from a gunshot wound sustained inside the home. According to court documents and police statements, witnesses revealed that the child had been handling a firearm that was resting on the lap of 23-year-old Ashton Cleveland. The weapon discharged, striking Benjamin in the head. The toddler was transported to Children’s Mercy Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Following the shooting, Ashton Cleveland fled the residence in a vehicle. Minutes after leaving the scene of the death, Cleveland was involved in a traffic collision approximately four miles away near the intersection of Truman and Noland Roads. Investigators stated that Cleveland failed to stop at a red light and crashed into another vehicle carrying a family, including a mother who suffered a concussion and a five-year-old child. Cleveland reportedly fled the site of this crash on foot, leaving the injured occupants behind.
Law enforcement tracked Cleveland's movements to Omaha, Nebraska, where he had traveled via a rideshare service after the crash. He was subsequently arrested by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office after being caught attempting to break into a pickup truck. Authorities in Nebraska charged him with theft related to the vehicle break-in. Back in Missouri, prosecutors charged Cleveland with a felony for leaving the scene of the accident that occurred as he fled the house. At the time of his initial arrest and the filing of the traffic-related charges, prosecutors indicated that the investigation into the death of Benjamin Cope Jr. was ongoing, with potential additional charges being considered as detectives continued to review the details of how the firearm was accessible to the child.
