Kalamazoo’s public security chief described Dalton, a former insurance adjuster, as “an average Joe” with no criminal record and had not come to the attention of law enforcement before the shootings. A gunman who seemed to choose his victims at random opened fire Saturday outside an apartment complex, a vehicle dealership and a restaurant in MI, killing six people in a rampage that lasted almost seven hours, police said.
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In this Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016 photo provided by Southwick’s gun store, Jason Dalton appears in the gun store in Plainwell, Mich., hours before he went on a shooting rampage.
Forty-five-year-old Jason Dalton of Kalamazoo County was arrested early Sunday in Kalamazoo in connections with the shootings.
Dawkins said Dalton had a collection of guns inside his Cooper Township home. He purchased a black jacket meant to give clear access to the firearm but can also be zipped to hide it, said owner Jonathan Southwick.
Dalton’s friend browsed for guns, but Dalton only wanted the $85 jacket. He said Dalton introduced himself as “Me-Me” and had a dog in the backseat.
Kalamazoo County Undersheriff Paul Matyas said the attacks began about 6 p.m. Saturday outside the Meadows apartment complex on the eastern edge of Kalamazoo County, where a woman was shot multiple times.
During a talk with investigators, Dalton waived his right against self-incrimination and confessed his role in the Saturday night shootings, Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting said.
Because the complaint was about erratic driving rather than beingexplicitly aboutviolence, Uber’s safety screeners didn’t prioritize it.
Detectives who obtained an arrest warrant for Dalton prior to his arraignment said Dalton admitted to fatally shooting a father and son from Mattawan at 10:08 p.m.in the parking lot of Seelye Automotive on Stadium Drive.
Dalton was arraigned via video to hear the charges against him on Monday.
Prosecutors said they were still trying to determine why Dalton began firing – seemingly at random – as he drove through Kalamazoo, possibly picking up passengers along the way. Four of those victims, Mary Lou Nye, Mary Jo Nye, Dorothy Brown and Barbara Hawthorne, were killed.
Uber said Dalton passed a background check and became a driver on January 25.
Domestic terrorism afflicted America yet again over the weekend, with the fatal shootings of six people near Kalamazoo in southwest MI.
Authorities believe that the 45-year-old used a 9mm semi-automatic handgun to carry out the killings, and although authorities have not revealed where he acquired the weapon, Southwick insisted it was not from his shop.
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The Dalton family said in a statement Monday: “This type of violence has no place in our society, and we express our love and support for everyone involved”.
