VAN BUREN COUNTY, MI – A man pleaded guilty in a New Year’s Eve shooting that killed two people.
Christopher Toppenberg, 63, pleaded guilty June 1 to using firearms under the influence causing death in Van Buren County Circuit Court.
Related: Two counts murder filed against man accused of errantly firing gun at New Year’s start
Two counts each of second-degree homicide and felony firearms were dismissed when he entered the guilty plea.
He was charged in the deaths of 40-year-old Jason McCreary of Sutter Creek, California, and 35-year-old David Reed of Paw Paw.
Van Buren Sheriff’s deputies responded to a home 57000 block of 60th Avenue in Lawrence Township just after midnight, Jan. 1, where a man was shot in the back and another was shot in the head.
There was a small New Year’s Eve party in the area, where fireworks were set off at midnight. Police said Toppenberg shot 20 to 25 celebratory rounds from an AR-15 at the same time, WWMT reported.
Toppenberg is scheduled to be sentenced July 17. He has a $1.5 million bond, which he has not posted.
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