| Huffington Post | - |
"What
it looks like, is we have somebody just driving around finding people
and shooting them dead in their tracks." 02/21/2016 12:28 am ET |
Updated 2 hours ago.
Edition:
US
Michigan Shooting Spree Suspect Arrested After Allegedly Killing 6: Officials
"What it looks like, is we have somebody just driving around finding people and shooting them dead in their tracks."
The latest:
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Six people are dead after a shooting spree in southwest Michigan
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Two others are seriously injured, including a 14-year-old girl
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Suspected shooter Jason B. Dalton, 45, is in custody
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Uber confirms Dalton was a driver, passed background check
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Several people claimed Dalton was their Uber driver before and after the shootings
Jason B. Dalton, 45, of Kalamazoo, was taken into custody after an hourslong manhunt that authorities say began around 6 p.m. local time. Dalton allegedly attacked victims in both the city and the surrounding county, including a town house complex, a car dealership and a restaurant, officials say.
Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office
Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting said Dalton allegedly fired 30 or more rounds across
the three shooting scenes, according to the Kalamazoo Gazette. The
prosecutor said Dalton was "even-tempered" and "cooperative" when he was
arrested Sunday morning. A semi-automatic handgun was found in his SUV.
Michigan State Police Lt. Dale Hinz called the shootings "incomprehensible." There is no apparent link between Dalton and any of his victims, police said.
Dalton is scheduled for arraignment Monday where he will face multiple counts of first-degree murder.
Michigan State Police Lt. Dale Hinz called the shootings "incomprehensible." There is no apparent link between Dalton and any of his victims, police said.
Dalton is scheduled for arraignment Monday where he will face multiple counts of first-degree murder.
Dalton allegedly began
shooting at the Meadows Townhomes around 6 p.m. and repeatedly fired on a
woman outside her home. The woman, who has not been identified, was
listed in critical condition.
More than four hours later, a father and his teenage son were killed in the parking lot of the Seelye Automotive Kia dealership. They were Rich Smith, 53, and Tyler Smith, 17, of Kalamazoo, the county coroner confirmed to The Huffington Post.
Less than 20 minutes later, four more people were killed and a 14-year-old girl was critically injured in the parking lot of a Cracker Barrel restaurant near the I-94 highway exit.
Dalton reportedly got out of his car in the parking lot and began talking to people before opening fire, Kalamazoo County Undersheriff Paul Matyas told NBC News.
The four killed were Mary Jo Nye, 60, Dorothy Brown, 74, and Barbara Hawthorne, 68, all of Battle Creek; and Mary Lou Nye, 62, of Baroda, the coroner said.
The 14-year-old girl, who was reportedly with family friends at the restaurant, was initially pronounced dead until she squeezed her mother's hand at the hospital. Her name has not been released.
Getting told local news station WWMT it was a miracle the girl is still alive.
"I'm going to cross my fingers, say a prayer and hope like hell that she survives," Getting said.
More than four hours later, a father and his teenage son were killed in the parking lot of the Seelye Automotive Kia dealership. They were Rich Smith, 53, and Tyler Smith, 17, of Kalamazoo, the county coroner confirmed to The Huffington Post.
Less than 20 minutes later, four more people were killed and a 14-year-old girl was critically injured in the parking lot of a Cracker Barrel restaurant near the I-94 highway exit.
Dalton reportedly got out of his car in the parking lot and began talking to people before opening fire, Kalamazoo County Undersheriff Paul Matyas told NBC News.
The four killed were Mary Jo Nye, 60, Dorothy Brown, 74, and Barbara Hawthorne, 68, all of Battle Creek; and Mary Lou Nye, 62, of Baroda, the coroner said.
The 14-year-old girl, who was reportedly with family friends at the restaurant, was initially pronounced dead until she squeezed her mother's hand at the hospital. Her name has not been released.
Getting told local news station WWMT it was a miracle the girl is still alive.
"I'm going to cross my fingers, say a prayer and hope like hell that she survives," Getting said.
Dalton
drove for Uber, and several people have claimed he picked them up
shortly before and after the shootings. One man, only identified as
Derek, told a Kalamazoo NBC affiliate he took a ride with his wife and in-laws shortly after midnight. He said they jokingly mentioned the shooting but Dalton denied being involved and appeared to be calm. Dalton was arrested 20 minutes later.
Another man said he hailed a car via the app and was picked up by Dalton around 4 p.m.,
a few hours before the first shooting. The man, Matt Mellen, said
Dalton was acting strange and driving erratically before Mellen jumped
out of the car and called the police.
A spokeswoman for Uber did not say whether
Dalton had accepted fares on Saturday, but confirmed that he was a
driver for the company and had passed the company's background
screening.
“We are horrified and heartbroken at the
senseless violence in Kalamazoo, Michigan," Uber's chief security
officer, Joe Sullivan, said in a statement. "Our hearts and prayers are
with the families of the victims of this devastating crime and those
recovering from injuries. We have reached out to the police to help with
their investigation in any way that we can.”
Jeff Karoub/Associated Press
Police have yet to pinpoint a motive for the shootings.
"What it looks like, is we have somebody
just driving around finding people and shooting them dead in their
tracks," Matyas told CNN Saturday. "These are random murders.”
“There is no connection between any of them," he added.Surveillance video and employees at the car dealership and restaurant helped identify Dalton's vehicle, police said in a Sunday morning news conference. They described the shootings as intentional and noted Dalton had no known criminal record.
Dalton's neighbors told local news station WWMT he had been acting "paranoid" before the shootings.
Getting said in a statement Sunday that there was "no question that the police work and capture saved other lives."
A city of about 75,000 people about halfway between Chicago and Detroit, Kalamazoo is home to Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo College, the popular Bell's Brewery and Stryker, a medical supply company. The surrounding county, meanwhile, is a mix of suburban subdivisions and rural neighborhoods punctuated by large swaths of farmland.
Also on HuffPost: These Are The Victims Of The Kalamazoo Shooting
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