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 Jason Dalton, 45, was denied bail as he made his first court
appearance on 16 charges including six of murder that can bring life
in prison.
Dalton told detectives "he took people's lives", Kalamazoo Public
Safety Detective Cory Ghiringhelli testified in a county district
court ahead of the suspect's arraignment.
Dalton appeared via a video link and was seen on a monitor at the
Kalamazoo County court wearing glasses and dressed in an orange
prison jumpsuit.
When asked if he had anything to say, Dalton, who appeared
emotionless through the proceedings, said he preferred to "remain
silent".
The judge denied bail and set March 3 for the next hearing.
After the hearing Kalamazoo County Prosecuting Attorney Jeffrey
Getting told reporters Dalton had been cooperative with authorities
but possible motives for the shootings were still unclear.
"No one understands why it happened, and that adds to the fear and
the sorrow," Getting said.
 Prosecutors alleged Dalton randomly shot multiple times at people
during a five-hour period on Saturday at an apartment complex, a car
dealership and a Cracker Barrel restaurant in Kalamazoo, about 150
miles (240 km) west of Detroit.
Police were investigating reports Dalton drove customers of the Uber
car-hailing service the night of the rampage. Two people were
wounded in the shootings, including a teenage girl who was initially
thought to have died but was showing signs of improvement on Monday,
state police said.
Initial checks with a key federal agency indicate Dalton was unknown
to both law enforcement and counterterrorism agencies for having any
known connection to extremist groups.
President Barack Obama said on Monday he had spoken to the mayor and
top law enforcement in Kalamazoo about the shootings and pledged
whatever federal support they need.
"Earlier this year, I took some steps that will make it harder for
dangerous people like this individual to buy a gun. But clearly,
we're going to need to do more if we're going to keep innocent
Americans safe," Obama said in remarks before the National Governors
Association at the White House.
Uber [UBER.UL] said on Monday it would not be changing the way it
screened its drivers following the weekend shooting spree. It also
said Dalton had received "very favorable" feedback from riders.
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"There were no red flags, if you will, that we could anticipate
something like this," said Uber's chief security officer, Joe
Sullivan.
Uber drivers use their personal vehicles to ferry customers at
prices generally below those of established taxi companies. Critics
contend vetting is inadequate and the company never meets potential
drivers in person.
"A background check is just that - a background check. It does not
foresee the future," Ed Davis, of the Uber Safety Advisory Board,
told a teleconference with reporters.
The Dalton family said in a statement: "There are no words which can
express our shock and disbelief, and we are devastated and saddened
for the victims and the families of the victims," Michigan State
Police said the shooting began at about 5:30 p.m. (2230 GMT) on
Saturday with a woman wounded outside an apartment building. At
about 10 p.m., Richard Smith and his son Tyler were killed at the
car dealership.
About 15 minutes later four women identified as Mary Lou Nye, 62, of
Baroda, Michigan; and Dorothy Brown, 74; Barbara Hawthorne, 68; and
Mary Jo Nye, 60, were fatally shot outside the restaurant.
(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee, Mark Hosenball and
Ayesha Rascoe in Washington, D.C. Curtis Skinner in San Francisco,
Barbara Goldberg in New York, Mary Wisniewski in Chicago and Jon
Herskovitz in Austin, Texas; Writing by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by
Bill Trott and Tom Brown)
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