A Grand Valley State University student was taken into custody Friday after a hit-and-run on the Allendale campus killed a third-party security officer working there. The crash happened in the early morning hours, and university officials say the investigation remains active with no further details released about either the student or the victim.
According to WWMT, a student at GVSU was taken into custody after a fatal hit-and-run Friday that claimed the life of a third-party security officer. GVSU President Philomena Mantella offered condolences, saying, “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of the victim,” according to the station, adding that the victim had worked on campus to help keep the community safe. As of Saturday, WWMT reported that the investigation continues, with no additional information released by the university.
The security officer killed was a third-party contractor working at GVSU's Valley Campus in Allendale, per WOODTV. Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact the Grand Valley University Police Department at 616-331-3255. Neither the student's name nor age, nor the security officer's identity, has been made public.
Campus Already On Edge After a String of Incidents
The fatal crash lands weeks after GVSU tightened overnight access to its campus following a run of public safety problems. Starting Oct. 8, students, faculty, pre-registered guests and other approved groups were the only ones permitted onto campus between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, according to reporting from MLive. WOODTV's reporting describes a similar overnight restriction limiting Valley Campus entrance access to faculty, staff, students, contractors, preregistered guests and emergency vehicles from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
The station's report ties those access changes to a string of problems on campus, including a dozen car break-ins, a brawl that led to two arrests, and a man bringing a gun to a dorm and making threats. The gun incident, per the same account, did not involve a student, and no arrest had been made in that case at the time it was reported. MLive's reporting separately notes the university issued a warning after an assault involving a gun took place on campus in September.
Security Staffing Ramped Up in September
GVSU had already moved to increase security on its Allendale campus in late September following several recent incidents, according to WWMT's earlier coverage. The university added personnel during evening hours, implemented mandatory overtime for officers, and directed increased patrols around housing, parking lots and other areas of concern, that report states. GVSU also adjusted side-door entrances at residence halls to limit after-hours access during that same push.
New rules for students living on campus followed as well, including guest registration requirements and a gathering limit after 10 p.m., WOODTV reported in its coverage of the university's disciplinary response. Among the incidents cited in that period was a brawl involving baseball bats and a knife that broke out on campus and spread toward the Copeland and Kistler living centers, according to a separate WOODTV report. Two students were arrested for obstructing police in that fight, and two people were injured, including one person hospitalized with a laceration to his hand, the outlet reported. MLive's reporting also notes a Grandville man was arrested in September in connection with a series of off-campus window-peeping incidents.
It is not established whether Friday's fatal hit-and-run is connected to the earlier access and security changes, and officials have not said so. The investigation into the crash remains ongoing, and the university has indicated it will not release further details at this time.
