6 Dead in Uber Driver's Random Killing Spree in Kalamazoo: Police

KALAMAZOO, MI — At least eight people were shot, six of them killed, in an hours-long series of apparently random shootings Saturday night in Kalamazoo County, police said. An Uber driver was taken into custody in downtown Kalamazoo.

Authorities identified him as 45-year-old Jason Dalton. A semi-automatic handgun was recovered from his vehicle, police said, adding that Dalton had no known previous criminal record.

Dalton reportedly was picking up Uber passengers in between shootings.

The random shooting incidents began around 6 p.m. at an apartment complex. The second shooting occurred at a Kia dealership around 10 p.m., and 15 minutes later the gunman fired at a Cracker Barrel. All three incidents took place in parking lots.

Among those shot was a 14-year-old girl who is still alive, authorities said.

At a news conference, Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting told reporters the shooting at the apartment complex targeted a woman who was shot several times. She is in serious condition but is expected to survive. A man and his 17-year-old son were fatally shot at the car dealership.

Kalamazoo County Undersheriff Paul Matyas told reporters Dalton started a brief conversation with people in two other cars at the Cracker Barrel parking lot before fatally shooting four women. A 14-year-old girl, who was the front seat passenger in one of the cars, is in critical condition.

Michigan State Police identified the victims fatally shot at the Cracker Barrel as Mary Lou Nye, 62, of Baroda, Mich., Mary Jo Nye, 60, of Battle Creek, Mich., Dorothy Brown, 74, of Battle Creek, Mich. and Barbara Hawthorne, 68, of Battle Creek, Mich.

The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety identified the father and son killed at the car dealership as Richard Eugene Smith, 53 and Tyler Daniel Smith, 17, of Kalamazoo.

“This is a tragic chain of events for our community and we are diligently continuing the investigation to confirm if the correct person is in custody,” the Kalamazoo department of public safety said in a statement.

Getting said the shootings were intentional, however the victims were chosen at random. WOOD-TV reported authorities were looking into an apparent Facebook post by a passenger in Dalton’s Uber who wrote that the driver was driving erratically before the shootings.

Below is Uber’s full statement:

We are horrified and heartbroken at the senseless violence in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Our hearts and prayers are with the families of the victims of this devastating crime and those recovering from injuries. We have reached out to the police to help with their investigation in any way that we can.

Dalton reportedly picked up customers in between the shooting incidents. A customer posted a screenshot of an Uber trip summary on Twitter indicating Dalton had given him or her a ride around 8 p.m.

“Lucky to be alive,” the customer later wrote.

Image: Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office

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