A Random Shooting Spree In Kalamazoo, Michigan Leaves 6 Dead And Another ‘Gravely Injured’

No motive has been determined for a string of random shootings that left six dead and others injured in Kalamazoo, Michigan, but authorities did have their suspect in custody. Jason Brian Dalton, 45, was taken into custody on Sunday morning following a string of seemingly random acts that authorities described as looking like “someone just driving around, finding people and shooting them dead in their tracks,” according to CNN.

The shootings began around 6 p.m. and seemed to continue into the night, with another occurring at 10 p.m. according to CNN. The New York Times reports a chain of events that put people on edge and left many wondering why:

Shootings were reported at a Cracker Barrel restaurant, a Ford dealership and other locations, according to WOOD-TV, the local NBC affiliate. At the Cracker Barrel, in Texas Township, the victims were shot as they sat in their cars, according to the television report. The five people killed there included a 9-year-old, the authorities said. A father and his son were killed at the car dealership, the authorities said. Two more shootings occurred at an intersection near the restaurant and at a residence in Richland Township, where a woman was shot multiple times…

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Initial reports noted seven victims, but authorities later corrected this to six and noted that a 14-year-old girl shot at the Cracker Barrel location was “gravely injured.” CNN reports that Kalamazoo County prosecutor Jeff Getting hope to bring charges against Dalton by Monday in the shootings of eight people. Dalton was arrested after midnight and a semi-automatic handgun was recovered from his vehicle:

Getting said the shootings appear to be premeditated, but that the victims were thought to have been chosen at random. He said he had no doubt that police work saved more lives from being lost.

“We have 9, 10, 11 shell casings at each of these scenes,” he said, adding that police were investigating to ensure there no other crime scenes. “These weren’t a sudden explosion… this was done intentionally.”

Reports indicate that Dalton even started a conversation with some of the victims before opening fire while they sat in their vehicles.

(Via CNN / NYT / Boston Globe / NBC News)