Kalamazoo suspect admits to shootings

An Uber driver suspected of killing six people and wounding two others in Kalamazoo, Michigan, on Saturday night was picking up fares between the shootings.

Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting says 45-year-old Jason Dalton of Kalamazoo County likely will face multiple counts of first-degree murder and attempted murder when he appears before a judge in a Kalamazoo County courtroom.

Dalton, a married father of two children and a longtime area resident, was slouched and appeared somber during his first court appearance Monday.

“We might never have an idea why he did it, ” Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting said after today’s arraignment.

Jason Dalton, 45, has been charged with murder after he was arrested in the small hours of Sunday morning.

The shooting spree continued for more than four hours, with more victims at a vehicle dealership and a restaurant parking lot.

Uber security chief Joe Sullivan said the company received complaints about Dalton from several passengers on Saturday, including one about risky and erratic driving.

Kalamazoo County Sheriff Richard Fuller says Uber is cooperating with law enforcement officials investigating shootings that left six dead, and he believes the company will “help us fill in some timeline gaps”. “He just kind of kept looking at me, like, ‘Don’t you want to get to your friend’s house?’ and I’m like, ‘I want to get there alive.’…”

Two people were also wounded in the shooting, including a teenage girl who was initially thought to have died.

Uber’s driver background checks compare names to public court records and are far less effective than fingerprint checks that access the Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal history database, says Matthew Daus, a former New York City Taxi Commissioner and a transportation lawyer who has studied the issue.

The Detroit Free Press said neighbors described Dalton as a father of two who “loved guns”, worked on cars and had a day job as an insurance salesman. They say because of that Uber says he wouldn’t have raised any red flags.

One of Dalton’s passengers, Matt Mellen, told a local television station that he hailed a ride with Dalton Saturday afternoon and that less than a kilometer into the trip Dalton got a phone call.

Mr Mellen said he unsuccessfully tried to contact Uber about Mr Dalton after talking to police.

“We are horrified and heartbroken at the senseless violence in Kalamazoo, Michigan”.

“This is your worst nightmare, when you have somebody just driving around randomly killing people”, he added.

Tammy George said the woman who was shot outside the apartment building is her next-door neighbor. The girl was pronounced dead on the scene, but an hour later was able to respond to questions by squeezing her mother’s hand and is now listed as being in critical condition.

Four of the six victims killed have been identified: Dorothy Brown, 74; Barbara Hawthrone, 68; Mary Lou Nye, 63; and Mary Jo Nye, 60.