News

Actions

ATF: 15 guns seized from home of Kalamazoo shooting suspect

Posted at 2:47 PM, Feb 24, 2016
and last updated 2016-02-24 20:27:02-05

KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says 15 guns were seized from the home of Kalamazoo mass shooting suspect Jason Dalton.

Don Dawkins with the ATF said that 11 long guns and four handguns were found in Dalton's Kalamazoo home.

Dalton, 45, is charged with six counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder and eight counts of felony firearms in connection with the Feb. 20 shooting spree around Kalamazoo County.

Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting said Dalton waived his right against self-incrimination and admitted to “taking people’s lives.” Gettings confirmed that Dalton took fares as a Uber driver after the first shootings and probably more after later shootings.

Six people were killed and two other were wounded in the shootings, which began at about 6 p.m. Feb. 20 at Meadows Townhomes.  Tiana Carruthers was shot and seriously injured there while trying to protect children from the gunfire.

Dalton then allegedly opened fire at the Seelye Kia Dealership on Stadium Drive at about 10:15 p.m., killing Rich Smith and his son Tyler Smith while they looked at cars.

About 15 minutes later, Dalton shot five other people in the parking lot of a Cracker Barrel restaurant in Texas Township, police say. Four of those victims, Mary Lou Nye, Mary Jo Nye, Dorothy Brown and Barbara Hawthorne, were killed. Abigail Kopf, a 14-year-old girl,  remains hospitalized in critical condition.

Dalton was arrested at about 12:40 a.m. Feb. 21 in downtown Kalamazoo.

Sworn testimony from officers who arrested Dalton revealed they found a semiautomatic handgun in his vehicle. Kalamazoo County Undersheriff Paul Matyas said that Dalton did not have a license to carry a concealed weapon.

Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety Chief Jeff Hadley said that Dalton does not have a history of mental illness and was not prescribed any medication.

Dalton is scheduled to be back in court March 3.