TALLMADGE TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A 20-year-old man has been charged in connection with the deadly shooting of a teenager during a party in Tallmadge Township, authorities said.
Westen Meulenberg, of Jenison, faces charges of discharging a firearm in a building causing death, according to the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office. He was arraigned Thursday morning.
The shooting occurred on May 9 at a residence near 2nd Avenue and Lake Michigan Drive NW. Deputies reported that Meulenberg was in an upstairs bedroom at the time, while 19-year-old Connor Lotterman was downstairs. Meulenberg reportedly obtained a gun and fired multiple rounds through the floor. One bullet struck Lotterman in the head.
Lotterman, a Grand Valley State University student, was transported to a hospital where he later died.
Officials said alcohol appeared to have played a role in the incident. While the county medical examiner ruled Lotterman’s death accidental, Capt. Jake Sparks of the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office emphasized the shooting itself was deliberate.
“Multiple rounds were fired. It wasn’t like as if it were a one-shot accidental discharge. This was numerous rounds discharged,” Sparks said. “Although the result of the shooting led to an accidental death, this shooting was intentional.”
The investigation remains ongoing as authorities continue to gather information.
