McKenna Grace Dutkiewicz, 21, of Wayland, Michigan, died on June 1, 2020, in Kalamazoo after being shot at an apartment on Jack Pine Way during a gathering. A 2017 Wayland Union High School graduate who had been active in orchestra, swim and track and field, she attended Eastern Michigan University for two years and was planning to continue at Western Michigan University.

Authorities say John Jacob Spangenberg, then 23, was handling a 9mm handgun and pulled the trigger, striking McKenna. He told investigators he believed the gun was unloaded and had been playing with it earlier, then lost track of whether the magazine was in the weapon. Spangenberg was arrested and initially charged with open murder; he admitted to pulling the trigger but maintained the shooting was accidental. The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety investigated the case.

In December 2020 Spangenberg was sentenced to one year in jail with credit for 194 days served, four years of probation and 500 hours of community service; part of the agreement included him speaking to young people about responsible gun ownership. McKenna’s mother told the court that forgiving the man who shot her daughter was a significant part of the sentencing arrangement and reflected what she believed McKenna would have wanted.

Did anyone who knew McKenna or was at that gathering come forward with information about the events that night?