Dalton, 45, was denied bail on Monday after a court hearing in which a detective testified that he admitted to the five-hour shooting rampage over the weekend in Kalamazoo, Michigan, about 150 miles (240 km) west of Detroit.
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The new information released Tuesday answered two of several questions that have swirled since Dalton’s arrest for the shooting spree, which also seriously injured two people, including a 14-year-old girl. He was formally charged with six counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder and eight counts of felony firearm.
Dalton was arraigned via video to hear the charges against him on Monday.
Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting (front right) speaks with reporters after the arraignment of Jason Dalton (not shown) in Kalamazoo County, Michigan.
Kalamazoo police Det. Cory Ghiringhelli told the court Dalton admitted to investigators “that he took people’s lives”.
Saturday’s attacks began outside the Meadows apartment complex on the eastern edge of Kalamazoo County, where 25-year-old Tiana Carruthers was shot multiple times but survived. 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. More killings quickly followed in a parking lot of a Cracker Barrel restaurant, where Dalton fired at four elderly women: Mary Lou Nye, Mary Jo Nye, Dorothy Brown, and Barbara Hawthorne.
“We’re really not that much closer to why this occurred then we were 10 minutes after he was arrested”, Matyas said.
Overall, Sullivan said, Uber did not plan to change its policies following the shootings.
However, police have said Dalton did not have a permit to carry a concealed weapon. He is expected to appear March 3 for a preliminary exam conference.
“We also want to express our support and gratitude to our local law enforcement agencies whose quick and decisive action prevented any further acts of violence”, the family said.
Police have not provided a motive. “But clearly, we’re going to need to do more if we’re going to keep innocent Americans safe”, Obama said in remarks before the National Governors Association at the White House. Four of the victims in the two cars died, police said.
The admission seemed only to deepen the mystery of what was behind the killings of six people with no apparent connection to the gunman.
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“In many ways, this focus on Uber is a distraction from the availability of guns, and guns in perhaps the hands of people who shouldn’t have such easy access to them”, Richardson said.
