Uber driver who killed six people in Kalamazoo, Michigan, sentenced to life in prison



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On February 20, 2016, Dalton, 48, pled guilty to killing six people and injuring two others during a series of random shootings in the southern city of Michigan, February 20, 2016. Between two shots, he was arrested and deposed. passengers as a driver of Uber.

The shooting occurred on a Saturday night in three different neighborhoods of Kalamazoo. He first shot Tiana Carruthers, then 25, in front of his children in a parking lot of an apartment complex.

Four hours later, he killed Richard Smith, 53, and his 17-year-old son Tyler Smith at a car dealership. He then fired on the parking of a Cracker Barrel restaurant, killing Barbara Hawthorne, 68, Mary Lou Nye, 62, Mary Jo Nye, 60, and Dorothy Brown, 74, and wounding a girl. 14 years old. [19659003] "These are deliberate murders – they have not been rushed in any way," said Attorney Jeffrey Getting at the time. "They were intentional, deliberate and I do not mean that it's done casually." Coldly done, that's what I mean. "

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The shootings put a particular emphasis on Uber and its approval protocol for drivers, who are considered independent contractors and not employees. A CNN survey last year found that carpool companies, Uber and Lyft, had approved thousands of people who should have been disqualified because of their criminal record, according to state and local agencies. lawsuits.

Dalton passed a background check without a criminal record.

"For all intents and purposes, he was your average Joe," Kalamazoo's chief of public security Jeff Hadley said at the time. "It was random."

At the sentencing hearing on Tuesday, the family members of the victims made statements while Dalton was sitting in an orange outfit.

Michigan does not have the death penalty and the law does not provide for it. murder is punishable by life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

Emily Lemmer spoke of the difficulty of living without her father and brother, especially during her recent marriage.

"Everyday since I woke up to half my family being gone was a living nightmare," Lemmer said through tears. "Nothing seems right and every day is a constant pain struggle, the same waking cycle to the scary reality that half of my family is gone."

Carruthers, who survived the shooting death, begged Dalton to watch her during her stay. statement of the victim. A defense lawyer objected, but the judge informed the court that Dalton's involvement in the victim's statements – or their absence – would be recorded.

Dalton's disengaged presence on Tuesday contrasted with a court hearing several months after the shootout after interrupting Carruthers. with disjointed statements. He then tried to appear in court and the court officials detained him and dragged him out of the courtroom.
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