KALAMAZOO, Mich. — The Uber driver charged with going on a random shooting rampage that killed six and wounded two in February was ordered bound over to Kalamazoo Circuit Court for trial after a hearing Friday in district court.
District Judge Christopher Haenicke's ruling came after a day of testimony marred by two outbursts from Jason Dalton, who was hauled out of the courtroom by Kalamazoo County sheriff's deputies.
Dalton, 45, interrupted proceedings, making somewhat indecipherable statements such as "old people with black bags" and "You need to get to temple" as Tiana Carruthers, the first victim in the five-hour series of shootings in Kalamazoo, Mich., began to testify.
Judge Christopher Haenicke told Dalton to stop and to listen to his attorney.
Carruthers resumed her testimony, and Dalton spoke louder. He was restrained by deputies and then dragged from the courtroom.
What he did caused Carruthers to cry uncontrollably. She remained on the stand for several minutes, sobbing loudly as prosecutor Jeff Getting and others consoled her.
Carruthers was shot multiple times Feb. 20 outside a Kalamazoo-area townhome. She was the first of eight victims in a rampage police reports describe as spanning three locations in the Kalamazoo area.
Members of the media, along with the public, weren't allowed inside. Courtroom staff said only family members connected to the case and three preselected journalists could observe the proceedings directly.
Because the media is limited to one camera angle at a time on a choppy screen with mediocre audio. It was unclear what exactly happened in the outburst.
The preliminary hearing was to determine whether Dalton should stand trial on murder and other charges.
The insurance claims adjuster moonlighted as an Uber driver. Police say the shooting spree happened in between ferrying Uber passengers to their destinations Feb. 20.
Dalton remains in the Kalamazoo County Jail with no bond while facing six counts of open murder and two counts of assault with intent to murder and weapons violations in the shootings which included the death of three Battle Creek, Mich., women — Mary Jo Nye, 60, Barbara Hawthorne, 68, and Judy Brown, 74 — and the wounding of Abigail Kopf, 14, also of Battle Creek. Mary Lou Nye, of Baroda, Mich., Richard Smith and his son Tyler, both of Mattawan, Mich., also were killed and Carruthers of Richland Township, Mich., was injured.
Last month, Dalton was found competent to stand trial. A report on the findings of the Center for Forensic Psychiatry in Saline, Mich., said Dalton was able to understand the charges against him and to assist in his defense.
The Feb. 20 attacks spanned three Kalamazoo-area locations. Police records indicate Dalton previously confessed to killing people but claimed the Uber smartphone app was controlling his mind.
During Dalton's competency hearing in April, Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting said he would not use statements made by Dalton during interrogation after his arrest early Feb. 21.
In those statements, Dalton blamed the killings on the Uber ride service app, saying his iPhone directed him where to go and when to shoot people. Dalton said he would have shot at police when he was arrested but the app directed him not to engage in a shootout.
A hearing could be held later to determine whether the statements are admissible as evidence.
Contributing: Battle Creek (Mich.) Enquirer;Trace Christenson, Battle Creek (Mich.) Enquirer. Follow Robert Allen on Twitter: @rallenMI
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