Suspect in custody after Michigan shooting spree leaves 6 dead

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By BNO NEWS

At least six people have been killed and two others have been injured in a series of related shootings in Kalamazoo County in Michigan, authorities say. A “very strong” suspect has been taken into custody.

The incidents began early on Saturday evening when a woman was shot multiple times and seriously injured while exiting the Meadows Townhomes in Richland Township. It was followed three hours later by a shooting at the Seelye Kia dealership in the City of Kalamazoo, killing two people, and then a third shooting outside a Cracker Barrel restaurant that left four people dead.

Kalamazoo County Undersheriff Paul Matyas said the suspected gunman was taken into custody in downtown Kalamazoo just after 12:40 a.m. after an officer spotted a vehicle that was being sought in connection with the shootings. He said weapons and “plenty of evidence” had been found after the arrest.

“The threat to the public is over. We know this is our suspect. He is in custody,” Matyas said.

In addition to those killed, a fourth person remains in a “very, very critical condition” after the shooting at the Cracker Barrel restaurant, according to the undersheriff. He said a woman who was shot at the Meadows Townhomes was seriously injured, but three children who were with her were not harmed.

Earlier, Chief Jeff Hadley of the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety confirmed that the two people who were killed at the car dealership were a father and son. “At this point we believe that they were just here, looking at a vehicle. This appears to be a random act of violence,” he said. “There was a female also here inside the vehicle that witnessed the shooting but she’s at our headquarters right now being interviewed. She is not harmed, so she’s obviously giving us very relevant information at this point.”

Hadley described the suspect as a white male in his 40s to early 50s, wearing a dark coat and believed to be driving a blue Chevy HHR vehicle with chrome wheels and mirrors. The vehicle was said to have been damaged from a hit-and-run. There have been no reports of injuries from the accident.

Michigan State Police initially reported a fourth shooting scene near Cracker Barrel, but First Lieutenant Dale Hinz later clarified that the report was based on “erroneous information.”

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