Suspect In Kalamazoo Shooting Spree Expected In Court

The first shooting took place in front of an apartment, where a woman, Tiana Carruthers, was shot in front of her children.

The shootings began around 6 p.m. Saturday and ended almost five hours later.

Law enforcement authorities say the shootings were done on a random basis.

The San Francisco-based ride-hailing service says Dalton cleared a background check and was approved to be a driver on January 25. He had given about 100 rides, the company said. Gene Kopf, the father of shooting victim Abigail, expressed sympathy both for the families of the other victims and to the Dalton family.

Jeff Karoub/AP PhotoPolice tape surrounds the area of a random shooting on Sunday, Feb. 21, 2016, in Kalamazoo, Mich. “It is frustrating and we’re continuing to figure out any motives that we could latch onto to give us some reason of understanding of why these things occurred but we just don’t have that yet”.

The family said it is praying for everyone affected.

A few hours before the rampage started Saturday, Dalton walked into Southwick’s – a gun shop in the nearby city of Plainwell, owner Jonathan Southwick said. “I’ll be here all day.’ So he came and got us when we were done”, said Reynolds. He smiled, laughed and hugged an employee, Southwick said. The Associated Press could not immediately those accounts, though. Family members said they are bewildered about what happened. A friend of Dalton’s who was his best man at his wedding told 24 Hour News 8 that Dalton never actually got into police work, though he’d wanted to pursue it.

Dalton’s admissions to police were used to justify the charges.

Dalton, 45, is charged with murder and attempted murder.

The 45-year-old appeared in court and was returned to jail without bond. He reportedly shot his victims at a townhouse development, outside an auto dealership, and in the parking lot of a chain restaurant. Two victims are in the hospital.

Dalton was arraigned via video to hear the charges against him on Monday.

He was arrested early Sunday in Kalamazoo.

The attacks began outside the Meadows apartment complex on the eastern edge of Kalamazoo County, where a woman was shot multiple times.

Dalton then allegedly opened fire at the Seelye Kia Dealership on Stadium Drive at about 10:15 p.m., killing Rich Smith and his son Tyler Smith while they looked at cars.

Later Wednesday, officials from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives confirmed that Dalton purchased the 9 mm handgun in mid-2015. Two people who survived are in the hospital.

“I said, ‘You’re not the shooter, are you?’ He said no. I said, are you sure?” Fuller says she has had surgeries and is improving but has a long road to recovery. Dalton is expected to make an initial court appearance later Monday. Police say he has no known criminal history.

The rider, Matt Mellen, reported Dalton for erratic driving and said he had called 911 after “jumping” out of the vehicle.

He said he called police and also reached out to contact Uber about the driver as well.

“It’s hard to put into words the impact something like this has”, Getting said. He expects some answers to emerge in court, but he doubts they will be satisfying. The deputy stopped the vehicle and the man was arrested peacefully.

Authorities were interviewing Dalton and reviewing his phone.

In what has become a grim tradition, President Barack Obama on Monday decried the nation’s epidemic of gun-related deaths and said more needs to be done to keep guns away from “dangerous people”.

“The attack in San Bernardino killed 14 of our fellow Americans”, Obama said in remarks to the National Governor’s Association.

Kristen Moore, a University of MI math professor and member of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, said the shootings could be a “tipping point” to get lawmakers and the public to embrace a “need to do more”.

One Uber customer he picked up was Matthew Mellen, who told CNN that Dalton seemed normal until he received a call on his cellphone, after which he began driving erratically, running stop lights and a stop sign and sideswiping another vehicle as Mellen yelled for him to pull over.

But Kalamazoo County Undersheriff Paul Matyas says a motive for the shootings remains a mystery. “Right now, we are just kind of working with them on the tracing of the firearms and all of that info has not come in yet”.