LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Two men died after they were shot early Sunday in western Michigan when a man fired a gun in celebration during a fireworks display at a New Year's party, police said.
Deputies with the Van Buren County Sheriff's Office were summoned to the shooting scene just after midnight Sunday by a 911 caller who reported that two people had been shot, police said.
A 40-year-old man who had been shot in the head was pronounced dead at the scene, while a 35-year-old man who had been shot in the back died later at a hospital, police said.
The victims' names had not been released by Sunday afternoon.
Sheriff’s deputies determined the shooting happened at small New Year’s Eve party in Van Buren County’s Lawrence Township as fireworks were being set off, police said.
A 62-year-old man was arrested at the scene for reckless discharge of a firearm causing death. Police said additional charges could be filed once Van Buren County prosecutors review the case.
Van Buren County is located in southwestern Michigan, where a portion of the county abuts Lake Michigan.
