Dalton, charged in a MI shooting rampage that killed six people is scheduled to be in court, Friday, May 20, 2016, for a key hearing on whether the case goes to trial.
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Suspected Kalamazoo shooter Jason Dalton was dragged out of court Friday morning after his odd ramblings sparked an emotional response from Tiana Carruthers, a victim who was on the stand.
Dalton is accused of killing six people and wounding two others in the shooting spree. When the judge told him he could only whisper to his attorney, he continued talking out loud. He was wrestled away and the hearing was adjourned for about two hours. “His actions will determine whether or not he remains in the courtroom”, the prosecutor said.
Dalton could be heard making unusual references to “old people with these old black bags”. “I pretended like I was dead already”.
Last month Dalton was found mentally competent to stand trial, and after today’s hearing the judge ruled that enough evidence exists to send a multiple-murder case against Dalton to trial. That motion would only come once the case was sent to circuit court for trial. He watched the rest of Friday afternoon’s court hearing from a jail cell, where he had to be held down by guards.
Kalamazoo County District Judge Christopher Haenicke said the hearing would resume at noon EDT (1600 GMT) after Jason Dalton, 45, was removed from the courtroom.
She was walking several children to a nearby park when she said Dalton drove into the parking lot and first asked, “are you Mazy?”
“I began to run toward anywhere, just to take cover”.
The other two victims, Abigail Kopf, 14, and Tiana Carruthers, 25, are recovering from their injuries. “My body doesn’t look real”.
She told the court that she still sees his face when she goes to sleep and said: ‘I hurt every single day’.
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But she also said she will never forget who shot her. I can never forget. They’re called. they’re black. However, Dalton began speaking out himself during Carruthers’ testimony. They were looking at a pickup truck, but she stayed in their vehicle because it was a cold night.
