CLEVELAND — A 19-year-old man will spend the next 27 to 32-and-a-half years in prison for fatally shooting Antwoina Carter on St. Patrick's Day last year.
According to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office, the sentence was handed down to Christopher Stinson after he pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, felonious assault and discharging a firearm on or near a prohibited premises.
The shooting happened around 4:30 a.m. on March 17, 2024. Carter was driving near her home on East 105th Street near Garfield Avenue. Authorities say Stinson was in a separate vehicle when he fired at least 20 shots at the back of Carter's car, hitting her in the back.
A surveillance video showed Carter’s car on East 105th Street and a vehicle following her. Someone leaned out of the passenger side window with a gun with a laser on it and fired at Carter’s car. This all happened within earshot of officers who had responded to a 911 call from her mother, Latrice Carter, that someone had busted out a car window in her driveway.
Carter’s car turned down Garfield Avenue, sideswiped a police vehicle and crashed down the street while officers opened fire, and Stinson and his two accomplices fled the scene. The two other individuals, Trinity Ford and Lawshuwndre Coleman, were later charged in connection with the shooting and pleaded guilty to various charges. Those two will be sentenced at a later date.
The Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and confirmed that officers returned fire. Body camera footage shows the chaotic scene that night. A laser sight from the vehicle that shot at Carter on East 105th Street is visible near the officers in a slowed-down version of the video.
Carter died from a gunshot wound that injured her heart, lungs and spine. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner said preliminary testing "does not indicate that police activity was directly responsible for the decedent's death."
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O'Malley said Thursday that Stinson was resposible for Carter's death.
“Tragically, this is the senseless gun violence we are seeing every day in our county,” said O’Malley. “This maniac fired 20 rounds at 26-year-old mother Antwoina Carter taking her life. He deserves to spend the next 27 years in prison.”
Previous coverage:
- More arrests made related to fatal shooting of Antwoina Carter
- Woman arrested in connection to fatal shooting of Antwoina Carter now charged with murder
- Police arrest suspect in connection with fatal shooting of Antwoina Carter
- Antwoina Carter died Sunday; her family wants answers
- Police release bodycam video of the moment when officers shot at Antwoina Carter’s vehicle
- Woman dies after shots exchanged with Cleveland Police, vehicle crash Sunday, county sheriff’s office says
