Jason Dalton appeared by video in a Kalamazoo courtroom on February 22, 2016 to face murder charges.
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Though police officials relayed to the court that Dalton had admitted to the murder spree, Dalton apparently also remained silent when asked about any motive.
Police have not released the name of the woman wounded in front of her children at the apartment complex. Richard Smith, 53, and his 17-year-old son Tyler Smith were shopping for cars at the dealership when they were gunned down in the parking lot.
Fifteen minutes after that, five people – including a 14-year-old girl – were gunned down in the parking lot of a Cracker Barrel restaurant.
After the hearing Kalamazoo County Prosecuting Attorney Jeffrey Getting told reporters Dalton had been cooperative with authorities but possible motives for the shootings were still unclear.
Uber did not comment on the timeline of Dalton and the company’s actions on Saturday, citing the ongoing law enforcement investigation. “And our hearts are saddened for all of the victims, their families and friends who are dealing with this on a much more personal level”. “There are no words which can express our shock and disbelief”, read the statement.
“We can not comprehend the grief which you are feeling, and, while it seems woefully inadequate, we are deeply sorry and are praying for everyone affected”, they said. They say they wouldn’t hire anyone if their background check showed anything like a gun offense or an assault or something of that sort.
The passenger’s fiancé also wrote to Facebook to complaining of Dalton’s driving. “‘You’re not the shooter are you?’ And he said ‘No… and I said ‘Are you sure?’ And he said ‘No, I’m just really exhausted, ‘” a man said.
He said the company received complaints about Dalton from several passengers on Saturday, including one about unsafe and erratic driving.
Resident Matt Mellen told news station WWMT that he had taken an Uber ride from Dalton about an hour before the first shooting and feared for his life after going on a very wild ride.
An Uber representative confirmed that Dalton was a driver for the car-hailing service and said he had passed background checks.
“A background check is just that – a background check. After an incident like this, we all struggle for answers”, he added. The suspect continued to pick up passengers after the bloodshed began.
President Obama on Monday weighed in on the shooting spree in Kalamazoo, Mich., over the weekend that took the lives of six people and injured two others. What can we expect from an individual like this? “Clearly we’re going to need to do more if we’re going to keep innocent Americans safe”.
“Nothing would lead us to believe that the victims had called for a ride”, police told the New York Daily News.
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Two people were wounded, the woman shot at the apartment complex and a 14-year-old girl hit at the restaurant. Dalton was denied bail, and his next court appearance is expected to be a preliminary examination set for March 3.
