In the early moments of New Year's Day 2023, a celebration in Lawrence, Michigan, turned into a scene of tragedy, resulting in the death of 40-year-old Jason McCreary. A male resident of Sutter Creek, California, McCreary was attending a small New Year's Eve party with less than ten guests at a home on 60th Avenue.
Just after midnight, as fireworks were being set off to welcome the new year, a fellow partygoer, 62-year-old Christopher Alan Toppenberg of Lawrence Township, retrieved an
AR-15 style rifle. Believing the fireworks had concluded, he began firing the weapon in what was described as a celebratory act. Unbeknownst to Toppenberg, McCreary and another man, 35-year-old David Reed of Waverly Township, were still in the area where the shots were being fired.
McCreary was struck in the head by the gunfire and died at the scene. Reed was shot in the back and succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital. When Van Buren County Sheriff's deputies arrived around 12:05 a.m., they found a chaotic situation with one man deceased and another critically injured.
Christopher Alan Toppenberg was arrested at the scene. He was initially charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of using a firearm during the commission of a felony. However, in a plea agreement, Toppenberg pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of discharging a firearm while under the influence of liquor or a controlled substance causing death. In July 2023, he was sentenced to one year in jail and three years of probation. He was given credit for 167 days already served.
