A judge is expected to decide soon whether the man accused in last year’s mass shooting in Kalamazoo can exclude some evidence from his trial.
Jason Brian Dalton, 46, of Cooper Township is suspected of killing six people and seriously injuring two others on Feb. 20, 2016, in between picking up fares for the ride-hailing app Uber.
On Thursday, defense attorney Eusebio Solis asked Kalamazoo County Ninth Judicial Circuit Court Judge Alexander Lipsey to suppress allegedly incriminating statements that Dalton made to police after his arrest.
Prosecutors say that police had a legal right to question Dalton after his arrest to make sure they had found all the victims of the shooting. But Solis says the detectives that talked to Dalton went further than that.
“They ask [Dalton] about other people needing medical attention. He says no, at the very beginning. But they trudge on through. And the questioning as you will see, it’s not because they’re concerned about public safety. They’re interrogating my client,” he said in court on Thursday.
Solis also wants a second interview with Dalton suppressed. The prosecution says that time, Dalton formally waived his right to silence before police questioned him.
The court has not released the transcripts of the interviews.
Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting says the case against Dalton is strong with or without the statements. Getting noted that the defense plans to argue that Dalton is insane.
“They’re not saying that he didn’t do it. They’re saying, ‘he did it, but…’ These statements simply establish that he did it and confirm other aspects of that investigation,” he said.
The judge says he will issue an opinion by April 20. Dalton’s trial has been set for June.
