HORROR transpired when a gunman rampaged several locations and claimed the lives of many victims.
Police identified Uber driver Jason Dalton as the Kalamazoo shooter, who claimed the app “took over his mind and body.”
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Who is Jason Dalton?
Born on June 22, 1970, Jason Dalton is a convicted killer from Greenfield, Indiana.
Before the Kalamazoo Uber shootings, Dalton was an insurance adjuster and mechanic who also worked for the abovementioned company.
He resided with his ex-wife Carole and their two children in Cooper Township, Michigan.
On February 20, 2016, Dalton went on a shooting spree; he killed six civilians and wounded two more.
That Saturday night, he was driving for Uber when he began committing multiple drive-by shootings.
While driving, he shot victims in Kalamazoo, Richland Township, and Texas Township.
During the tragedy, Dalton claimed the lives of:
- Tyler D. Smith (17)
- Richard E. Smith (53)
- Mary Jo Nye (60)
- Mary Lou Nye (62)
- Dorothy Brown (74)
- Barbara Hawthorne (68)
14-year-old Abigail Kopf and 25-year-old Tiana Carruthers were wounded but survived the attacks.
On February 22, 2016, Dalton was arraigned and charged with six counts of murder, two counts of assault with intent to commit murder, and eight counts of using a firearm during the commission of a felony.
During his interrogation, he told police: “The minute that I logged on, to be honest with you, I don’t know what happened.
“I know you guys are going to have a hard time believing this, but it literally took over (my) mind and body.
“I just tapped it and then there was like a devil head that popped up.
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“I pressed that button and that’s where all the problems went after that.
“The minute that the app went from black to red…I had my presence.”
When did Dalton plead guilty?
On January 7, 2019, Dalton pleaded guilty to all of the charges brought against him.
On February 5, 2019, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
In his victim impact statement, Dorothy Brown’s son Jeff Reynolds told the court: “We’ve waited nearly three years of difficult delays for this evil murderer to be brought to justice.
“Each delay of the trial has reopened wounds for myself and each of the families, and it sometimes has felt like this will never end.
“We will never have a day where we can walk free of the devastating loss you have needlessly caused.”
Where is Dalton now?
Dalton remains incarcerated at the Oaks Correctional Facility in Michigan.
On February 22, 2019, ABC’s 20/20 revisited the tragedy in an episode titled The Deadly Ride.
On December 22, 2023, The Deadly Ride is scheduled for a rerun at 9 pm EST via ABC.
During the broadcast, show anchor Matt Gutman gathers first-hand accounts from the Kalamazoo shooting survivors and others who were close to the investigation.
Audiences who miss the episode can check out the episode via Hulu.
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