Kalamazoo shootings: seven dead in Michigan after 'random' attacks
Police described “ugly” scenes after the shootings, by “a guy going around randomly killing innocent people”. A 45-year-old man was arrested at 12.40am local time (0540 GMT) who police said was a “strong suspect”.
The spree began at around 6pm on Saturday, when a woman was shot multiple times outside a housing complex in eastern Kalamazoo county, according to Undersheriff Paul Matyas. Police believe the woman was babysitting several children, who were unharmed in the incident. The victim was taken to a local hospital where she remains in serious condition.
Hours later, in what police believe was a connected incident, two people were shot dead outside a car dealership in the city of Kalamazoo, roughly 140 miles west of Detroit and a 15-minute drive from the earlier shooting. The dead are believed to be a father and son..
A woman who observed the shooting in a nearby vehicle was unharmed, according to Jeff Hadley, chief of Kalamazoo public safety, and was being interviewed by police.
“These appear to be random acts of violence,” Hadley added.
Roughly 15 minutes later, police responded to a nearby restaurant, where the same gunman is believed to have shot and killed five others. Early reports indicated an eight-year-old child was among the dead at the restaurant, but Matyas said the victim was a 14-year-old female.
Hadley said the suspect was apprehended around 12.40am in downtown Kalamazoo, driving a vehicle matching the description of a dark-colored Chevy HHR captured on CCTV at the car dealership.
“That person is being brought back [to police headquarters] and we’re trying to get information out as quick as possible to calm people’s fears up there in the community,” Hadley told the Guardian.
“We’re fairly certain that he is the suspect but we’re still in the process of determining that 100%.” The suspect was arrested “without confrontation”, the police chief said, and one weapon was recovered from the vehicle.
Multiple state agencies were involved in the investigation, including Michigan state police, the Kalamazoo department of public safety and Kalamazoo county sheriff’s office.
Matyas said law enforcement officials were still at the attack scenes, and described the investigation as “very fluid”.
“It’s a very ugly scene – all of them,” he said. “All the agencies involved are mulling over it.”
He continued: “I’ve been 40 years involved in police work, and I’ve seen a lot of grizzly scenes, but this one is ugly in that, this is just a guy going around randomly killing innocent people. That’s what makes this one so ugly.”
Source: The Guardian