Ronald Dale Erickson, known as Ron, was a 53-year-old man from Vicksburg, Michigan. A 1989 graduate of Vicksburg High School, he worked for many years as an insulator until an accident forced his early retirement. Family was central to his life; he was a father to a son and daughter and a grandfather to three grandchildren, and those who knew him described him as intelligent, loving, and interesting with interests in music and disc golfing.

On the night of September 29, 2024, a dispute between Ron and his neighbor at a residence on East VW Avenue in Schoolcraft escalated into a fatal confrontation. Around 10:30 p.m., the neighbor, 45-year-old Eric Newman, shot Erickson. Deputies from the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office found Ron had succumbed to his injuries and he was pronounced dead. The Sheriff’s Office arrested Newman, and on October 1, 2024, prosecutors charged him with open murder and felony firearms; bond was set at $1 million and a preliminary examination was scheduled.

Does anyone who knew Ron or who was in the Schoolcraft neighborhood that night have information that could help clarify what happened?