KALAMAZOO, Mich. — The Uber driver who authorities say fatally shot six people during a series of seemingly random attacks over the weekend was formally charged with murder Monday as questions swirled around what motivated the bloody spree.
Jason Brian Dalton, 45, was charged with six counts of murder and 10 other counts, according to a copy of the complaint filed by Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeffrey Getting.
Dalton faces up to life in prison if convicted in Michigan, which does not have the death penalty. He was arraigned Monday afternoon, nearly two days after the shooting rampage that spanned several hours across this area.
Getting said: ‘‘The investigation is not over and the search for answers will continue.’’
Dalton appeared in court Monday through a video feed that was screened on a television in the courtroom. Wearing an orange jumpsuit and glasses, Dalton stared ahead and did not visibly react as the charges against him were read aloud and the names of the victims recited. He said he understood the charges against him.
The shootings made Kalamazoo the latest American city rocked by a mass shooting, joining a long list that, since last year, has grown to include San Bernardino, Calif.; Roseburg, Ore.; and Charleston, S.C.
In Kalamazoo, the rampage added a new twist to what has become a grim feature of American life. Rather than a burst of violence in a seemingly safe location — a movie theater, a school, a holiday party — the shootings here were mobile, gunshots apparently fired from an Uber car that authorities and passengers say continued seeking riders after the bloodshed began.
These shootings appeared to be ‘‘completely and totally random,’’ Kalamazoo Public Safety Chief Jeff Hadley said.
Dalton, by his own account, had been driving for Uber only a short time. Late Saturday afternoon, he picked up a customer for a short ride, and passenger Matthew Mellen said Dalton’s reckless driving so terrified him that he practically leaped out of the car.
Mellen said he notified police about Dalton more than an hour before the attacks began, the Associated Press reported.
Mellen told Kalamazoo television station WWMT that Dalton introduced himself as ‘‘Me-Me’’ and had a dog in the back seat. About a mile into the trip, Dalton got a phone call, and when he hung up, he began driving erratically, blowing through stop signs and sideswiping cars, Mellen said.
‘‘We were driving through medians, driving through the lawn, speeding along, and when we came to a stop, I jumped out of the car and ran away,’’ he said.
An Uber spokesman confirmed Dalton had been working with the company and said he had passed a background check.
Officials said there were no apparent connections between the alleged shooter and his victims, who included a high school senior and his father looking at cars and a mother of three standing in front of her apartment.
In addition to being charged with six murders, Dalton has also been charged with eight counts of possessing a firearm during a felony and two counts of ‘‘assault with intent to murder.’’
Governor Rick Snyder called the shootings ‘‘senseless’’ and ordered flags in the state to be flown at half-staff beginning Monday and through Sunday, one day for each of the people killed in the shooting.
A vigil was held Sunday night in Kalamazoo, and an interfaith service is set for Monday night at First Congregational Church to be followed by a candlelight vigil at nearby Bronson Park. After the service, the Michigan Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence will hold a discussion.
Police identified those killed as Mary Lou Nye, 63, of Baroda; Mary Jo Nye, 60, of Battle Creek; Dorothy Brown, 74, of Battle Creek; Barbara Hawthorne, 68, of Battle Creek; and father and son Richard Smith, 53, and Tyler Smith, 17, both of Kalamazoo. At least two other people were wounded.
President Obama on Monday said he had called the mayor, sheriff, and police chief in Kalamazoo and offered ‘‘whatever federal support they needed in their investigation.’’
Obama mentioned the shooting in remarks to the National Governors Association at the White House on Monday morning, tying it to his renewed calls for stricter gun regulations. He noted that the San Bernardino shootings killed 14 people last December and added, ‘‘Here’s a hard truth: We probably lost more Americans than that to guns this weekend alone.’’
Earlier this year, Obama announced modest new gun restrictions in an emotional public speech, and on Monday he referred to these steps as intended to ‘‘make it harder for dangerous individuals’’ to get guns.
‘‘We’ve got to do more to keep Americans safe,’’ Obama said Monday. ‘‘I’m sure all of you are as tired of this as I am.’’
Getting said the Kalamazoo spree began about 6 p.m. Saturday when a woman was fired upon multiple times outside the Meadows Townhomes complex in Kalamazoo. She was severely injured but is expected to survive.
At about 10 p.m., about 8 miles away, the gunman appeared outside the Seelye Automotive Group, a car dealership in Kalamazoo. Police said he killed the Smiths there as they sat in a car.
Fifteen minutes later, the gunman opened fire at a nearby Cracker Barrel restaurant, killing four. A 14-year-old girl was gravely injured.
Authorities identified Dalton, who has no criminal record, with help from video from the car dealership and restaurant. They spotted his car pulling out of the parking lot of a downtown bar and arrested him at 12:30 a.m. A semiautomatic handgun was recovered from the car.
Neighbors said that before the bloodshed, Dalton offered no warning signs of possible violence to come.