Dalton, 45, is first accused of shooting a woman in a Kalamazoo parking lot around 5:45 p.m. Saturday, Michigan State Police said.
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The ridesharing service Uber acknowledged Monday that it had received at least one complaint about Kalamazoo shooting suspect Jason Dalton shortly before he began his alleged rampage that killed six people and injured 2 others Saturday.
In a conference call, Uber Chief Security Officer Joe Sullivan said Jason Dalton, who reportedly confessed to a Saturday shooting spree in Kalamazoo, Michigan, had no criminal record.
The 45-year-old Dalton is charged with six counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder in the random shooting spree.
Dalton was arraigned on Monday on 16 charges, including six counts of open murder.
Dalton drove several Uber fares after shooting his first victim, authorities said.
“The violence continued more than four hours later, when a father and son – Richard Eugene Smith, 53, and Tyler Daniel Smith, 17, both from Kalamazoo – were shot and killed at the Seelye Ford Kia vehicle dealership”.
Dalton then allegedly approached two cars in a Cracker Barrel Restaurant parking lot and shot five people, state police said. He expects some answers will emerge in court but doubts they will be satisfying. When Dalton finally stopped, Mellen said he jumped out of the auto and called police.
Mr Dalton was captured on surveillance video on Saturday “laughing and joking” and giving the manager a “one-armed hug” before buying his jacket.
For investigators, the lack of any discernible motive behind the random attacks is just as puzzling as the lack thus far of any red flags in their suspect’s background that might have prevented him from owning guns or driving for the ride-hailing service. “He was rather quiet”, Marc Dunton, 39, told Reuters of the ride he shared with two friends, taking the front-passenger seat beside Dalton.
“By all accounts he had a clear record”, said Donald Dawkins, a spokesman for the ATF’s Detroit field office.
“If you’re not using it because you’re afraid someone is going to attack you, that’s a logical reason”, Miller said.
Mellen said about a mile into the trip, Dalton got a phone call and that when he hung up, he began driving erratically, blowing through stop signs and sideswiping cars.
Jason Dalton (left) is seen at Southwick’s gun shop in Plainwell, Michigan, in this still image from closed circuit television taken February 20, 2016, and provided by Southwick’s Guns. Family members said they are bewildered about what happened. Dalton told the caller he had a passenger in the auto and would call the person back, according to Mellen.
Police said the only apparent connection between the suspect and the victims was his semi-automatic pistol – which is consistent with the shell casings found at each scene.
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Dalton is expected to appear in court later Monday.
