A Lawrence man was arraigned Wednesday following the deaths of two men at a New Year’s Eve party in Van Buren County, according to police.
Christopher Alan Toppenberg, 62, of Lawrence has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of felony firearm, the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office said in a release.
Shortly after midnight on Jan. 1, police were called to the 57,000 block of 60th Avenue in Lawrence Township after reports of two men who had been shot. Jason McCreary, 40, of Sutter Creek, California, was shot in the head and died at the scene. David Reed, 35, of Waverly Township, died at a hospital from several gunshot wounds to the back.
According to VBCSO, fireworks had been going off as part of the party, and Toppenberg discharged his firearm at the same time. He was arrested and charged with reckless discharge of a firearm causing death at the scene.
The next scheduled court date is Jan. 17 for a preliminary examination. His bond was set at $1,500,000 cash or surety.
