In Kalamazoo, Michigan, a small city of approximately 75,000, an Uber driver is arrested on multiple murder counts. The Saturday night rampage of violence and terror left six people dead and two injured, allegedly at the hands of an Uber driver named Jason Dalton.
Now witnesses say Dalton picked up Uber customers and collected fares in between shootings. Customers claiming they rode with Dalton say it was a ride from a nightmare. One woman posted on Facebook Dalton drove 80 MPH on a city street and constantly swerved through traffic. That was posted 30 minutes before a woman was shot outside her own apartment complex. ?That was around 6pm. Another customer was so scarred of Dalton’s driving that he told news outlets he jumped out of the car and ran away. At 8pm, a Kalamazoo man tweeted he rode with Dalton for 10 minutes. At 10pm, a father and son were shot to death outside a car dealership. Around 10:15pm, gunfire was opened at a local Cracker Barrel. At midnight, two couples were picked up, and Dalton jokingly said, “No, I’m not the shooter. I’m just really tired.” They were dropped off at a Radisson hotel without incident. At 12:40am, Dalton was arrested in downtown Kalamazoo. The police found a semi-auto gun in the car.
Dalton’s friends and neighbors are in shock. They affirm Dalton as a nice guy and family man, who didn’t see any of this coming. Neither did Uber. Dalton passed Uber background checks with flying colors. But there has been concerns of Uber’s background policy being too relaxed. I’m sure that issue will come up in the wake of this tragedy. Uber is cooperating with the investigation and offers condolences to the families affected by these devastating shootings. Is that going to be enough? Should it be enough? Does Uber need to do more to keep customers safe?