The Michigan State Police is continuing its investigation into the shooting of five people outside the Cracker Barrel Restaurant at 5581 Cracker Barrel Blvd. in Kalamazoo, Mich. The shooting occurred on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016, at approximately 10:24 p.m. when Jason Brian Dalton, 45, of Kalamazoo, approached a Chevrolet Cruze and an Oldsmobile Silhouette mini-van in the parking lot and shot all four occupants of the Chevrolet, as well as the driver of the Oldsmobile, who was the single occupant of that vehicle. Tragically, four of the shooting victims died as a result of their injuries.
The victims are: Mary Lou Nye, 62, of Baroda, Mich. (driver of Oldsmobile mini-van); Mary Jo Nye, 60, of Battle Creek, Mich. (driver of Chevrolet); Dorothy Brown, 74, of Battle Creek, Mich. (rear, driver-side passenger of Chevrolet); and Barbara Hawthorne, 68, of Battle Creek, Mich. (rear, passenger-side passenger of Chevrolet). The 14-year-old front-seat passenger of the Chevrolet is currently in critical condition at Bronson Hospital in Kalamazoo.
The incident at the Cracker Barrel Restaurant was the last of three separate shootings that occurred on Saturday evening in which Dalton is the suspect. At approximately 5:42 p.m. on Saturday, the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office was called to the Meadows Townhomes on G Avenue near Comstock for a woman who had been shot multiple times in the parking lot. The Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation into that shooting.
The second shooting was reported at approximately 10:08 p.m. at the Seelye Ford KIA Dealership on Stadium Drive in Kalamazoo. During this incident, two people, a father and son, were shot and killed. The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety is leading the investigation into that shooting.
Following the shooting at the Cracker Barrel Restaurant, Dalton was stopped at 12:40 a.m. at Ransom and Porter Streets in Kalamazoo and was taken into custody without further incident. Police were acting on a BOL (Be On the Lookout) for a dark-colored Chevy HHR that was spotted by witnesses at the Stadium Drive and Cracker Barrel shootings.
Dalton is believed to be the solo actor in these shootings and there is no further threat to public safety.
Any additional information about these incidents will be released through the Kalamazoo County Prosecutor, Jeffrey Getting.
