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 Prosecutors alleged that Jason Dalton, 45, opened fire, apparently
at random, in parking lots outside an apartment building, a car
dealership and at a Cracker Barrel restaurant in Kalamazoo, about
150 miles (240 km) west of Detroit.
Two other people were wounded, including a teenage girl who was
initially thought to have died.
Authorities could not confirm Dalton was working for Uber during the
nearly five-hour shooting spree on Saturday evening. He was arrested
without incident on Sunday while driving away from the parking lot
of an area bar.
An Uber representative confirmed that Dalton was a company driver
and had passed background checks. The representative referred
questions about whether Dalton was working at the time of the
shootings to police.
The victims "appear to be chosen at random, because they were
available," Kalamazoo County Prosecuting Attorney Jeff Getting said.
"They were shot multiple times, multiple - nine, 10, 11 shell
casings at each of these scenes."
 The carnage in Kalamazoo, a city of about 75,000 people, was the
latest in a series of mass shootings that have elevated gun control
as a campaign issue in the November U.S. presidential election.
The attack also prompted renewed interest in how Uber vets drivers,
who use their personal vehicles to ferry customers at prices that
are generally below those of established taxi companies. Critics say
the company's vetting process is flawed because it never meets with
potential drivers in person.
Uber says on its website that it has an "extensive" driver screening
process that includes collecting detailed information from potential
drivers and using the investigation service Checkr to vet them.
Other websites and databases such at the Dru Sjodin National Sex
Offender Public Website are used as well.
WOOD-TV, a Grand Rapids station, quoted police as saying they were
investigating reports Dalton dropped off Uber fares at a hotel and
then killed four women and wounded a 14-year-old girl at the nearby
Cracker Barrel. The teenager was in critical condition, Michigan
State Police said.
In an emailed statement, Uber's chief security officer, Joe
Sullivan, said the company was in contact with police to help with
the investigation.
An Uber passenger, Matt Mellen, told CBS TV affiliate WWMT that he
had tried to alert the company after a wild ride with Dalton about
an hour before the first shooting was reported.
He said Dalton introduced himself using a different name from the
one listed as a driver. He then sped through medians and across a
lawn, and Mellen jumped out at a stop at about 4:30 p.m. (2130 GMT)
"He just kind of kept looking at me like, 'Don't you want to get to
your friend's house?' and I'm like, 'I want to get there alive,'"
said Mellen, a brewery worker.
His fiancée posted a Facebook account of the ride that said Dalton
had sideswiped a car and run a stop sign. Mellen said he
unsuccessfully tried to contact Uber about Dalton after talking to
police.
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Kalamazoo Police Chief Jeff Hadley told Reuters that investigators
were still looking into reports of Dalton picking up Uber fares
around the time of the shootings. He confirmed that a man did call
police with a report of an erratic Uber driver and the report was
relayed to patrol officers.
Hadley said it was not unusual for police to receive such reports
and that he was not sure whether investigators had contacted the
passenger who made the report.
An Uber spokesman could not be immediately reached for comment on
Mellen's account.
Michigan State Police said the carnage began at about 5:30 p.m. ET
(2230 GMT) with the report of a woman wounded outside an apartment
building. At about 10 p.m., a father and son were killed at the car
dealership.
Dalton allegedly opened fire outside the restaurant about 15 minutes
later. The four slain women were identified as Mary Lou Nye, 62, of
Baroda, Michigan; and Dorothy Brown, 74; Barbara Hawthorne, 68; and
Mary Jo Nye, 60, all of Battle Creek, Michigan, state police said.
Earlier, authorities reported seven deaths. Hadley said he
understood that the wounded teenage girl was initially believed to
have died and was being prepped for organ harvesting when she
grasped the hand of one of her parents.
Getting said Dalton was thought to have been in contact with more
than one person via cellphone during the shooting spree. Hadley said
authorities have contacted Dalton's wife, who is safe and
cooperating with investigators.
Dalton is expected to be arraigned on Monday on charges of murder,
assault and firearms violations, the prosecutor said. Getting said a
semiautomatic pistol was found in Dalton's car. Police said he had
no known criminal record.
The Detroit Free Press newspaper said neighbors described Dalton as
a father of two who "loved guns" and who worked on cars and had a
day job as an insurance salesman.
The Kalamazoo shootings come as Uber is facing a range of regulatory
and safety issues. The company agreed last month to pay $28.5
million to settle federal litigation brought by customers who
alleged the service misrepresented the quality of its safety
practices and fees.
(Reporting by Chris Michaud and Ian Simpson in Washington, and
Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Alan Crosby, Jonathan
Oatis and Chris Reese)
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