The man police say went on a shooting spree in Kalamazoo over the weekend has been charged with six counts of murder, two counts of assault with intent to commit murder and eight counts of felony firearm use. Brian Dalton was arraigned Monday afternoon in Kalamazoo County court. Police say he admitted to the killings after they arrested him early Sunday morning. Dalton is being held without bond. He appeared on a video monitor for his arraignment and sat, emotionless, as the charges were read against him. He is due back in court on March 3rd and will have a preliminary exam on March 10th.
What could have set off a Kalamazoo area man to the point where he would randomly shoot and kill six people and injure two others in three random shootings on Saturday night is among the questions being asked by police, friends, neighbors, and others. Friends of Brian Dalton say the man had been upset in the past year about people living in the apartment buildings to his north cooking methamphetamine, and he was upset that the quality of his rural neighborhood in Cooper Township was on the decline. Gary Pardo Jr., whose father lives across the street from the suspect, says Dalton “was pretty normal.” He adds that the suspect worked as an insurance adjuster, and is the third member of the Comstock High School class of 1989 to be charged with murder since 2013. (MRN)