— Connor Lotterman is being remembered by his family, friends, classmates and the Grand Valley State University community following his tragic death after an accidental shooting at a party in May 2025.
Lotterman was shot shortly after 11 p.m. on May 9, 2025, while attending a gathering at a home in the township. According to the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office, another partygoer had obtained a firearm from an upstairs bedroom and fired multiple rounds into the floor. One of the bullets traveled through the floor and ceiling before striking Lotterman in the head.
He was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition but died from his injuries on May 10, 2025. The Kent County medical examiner determined that his death was accidental and listed a gunshot wound to the head as the cause of death.
The shooting resulted in an extensive investigation. Detectives determined that the firearm had been inside the home and that multiple rounds had been fired through the floor of an upstairs bedroom. Investigators also reported that alcohol was believed to have played a role in the events surrounding the shooting.
Although authorities classified Lotterman’s death as accidental, the circumstances led to criminal charges against Westen Meulenberg, who was 20 years old at the time. Meulenberg was charged with discharging a firearm in a building causing death.
He pleaded guilty to the charge in September 2025. On October 27, 2025, an Ottawa County judge sentenced him to between five years and 10 months and 25 years in prison and ordered him to pay $8,000 in restitution.
For Connor’s loved ones, however, the criminal case could not undo the devastating loss.
Lotterman was studying engineering at Grand Valley State University, where his death was felt by fellow students and members of the university community. He was remembered as the youngest of five siblings, and his family’s tributes reflected the importance of the relationships he shared with his brothers and sisters.
The loss also left classmates and friends confronting the sudden disappearance of a young man whose life and future had been abruptly cut short.
In the months following his death, Connor’s family received an outpouring of support from relatives, friends, classmates and members of the wider community. A church bulletin connected to the Lotterman family later expressed the family’s gratitude for the visits, cards, gifts, meals, flowers and messages they received while grieving.
Those gestures became reminders to the family that they were not alone during one of the most painful periods of their lives.
Connor Lotterman’s death remains a heartbreaking reminder of how quickly a moment involving a firearm can result in irreversible consequences. For those who knew him, however, his memory extends beyond the circumstances of his death.
He will be remembered as a son, brother, student, friend and young man whose life held promise and whose absence continues to be deeply felt by those who loved him.
May Connor Lotterman rest in peace, and may his family continue to find strength in the memories and support of those who have stood beside them.