Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Alleged Kalamazoo Shooter Picked Up Uber Fares During, After Killing Spree

Posted by timothy on from the work-around-your-schedule dept.

theodp writes: Police allege that Uber driver Jason Dalton shot 8 people in three different locations, killing six people. But the story gets even crazier, Gizmodo reports, as Dalton allegedly not only picked up Uber passengers between shootings, he continued to drive people around after his last shooting at 10:24pm at a Cracker Barrel restaurant. One of his last passengers before Dalton was arrested even joked, "You're not the shooter, are you?" Uber Chief Security Officer Joe Sullivan issued the following Statement on Kalamazoo: "We are horrified and heartbroken at the senseless violence in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Our hearts and prayers are with the families of the victims of this devastating crime and those recovering from injuries. We have reached out to the police to help with their investigation in any way that we can."

43 of 312 comments (clear)

  1. how is that relevant? by ooloorie · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If he had been a regular cab driver, he might have done the same, and an official taxi would have been even better camouflage. If he had been a stock trader, he might have continued to do trades. If he was selling crap on Ebay, he might have continued doing that too. How is his driving for Uber at all relevant?

    1. Re: how is that relevant? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

      It's relevant because Uber maintains they need not abide by any regulations to keep their customers safe. They flout laws, and if it should be found out that this person had something in his past that would have disqualified him from a regular taxi job it's going to be VERY relevant.

      Granted, some people can snap without warning and without history, but basically Uber opened itself up to this based on public corporate behavior. Nobody would care if they didn't constantly make a spectacle of themselves ignoring laws.

    2. Re:how is that relevant? by tehcyder · · Score: 2

      If he had been a regular cab driver, he might have done the same, and an official taxi would have been even better camouflage. If he had been a stock trader, he might have continued to do trades. If he was selling crap on Ebay, he might have continued doing that too. How is his driving for Uber at all relevant?

      At the very least it's a counter-example to all the Uber-shill stories about how they always get raped/murdered/ripped off when using conventional taxi services.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
    3. Re:how is that relevant? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Wish I had moderation points for boosting the parent here. The guy worked somewhere, and committed heinous crimes. One fact has nothing to do with the other.

    4. Re:how is that relevant? by fluffernutter · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Because someone who is a psychotic killer is far less likely to engage in a profession where they know who you are, and have all kinds of information on you including fingerprints. There is something to be said for using an industry where people know who the others are. Uber is next to anonymous, which is a perfect job for freaks. If the Uber rating system is so great, why did the riders feel the need to go to facebook about this guy? They should have given him a poor rating and been absolutely satisfied that the rating system would do its job.

      --
      Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
    5. Re:how is that relevant? by Junta · · Score: 5, Funny

      Hey, it's not jush shilling. I myself have personally been murdered 3 or 4 times riding in a conventional taxi.

      --
      XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
    6. Re:how is that relevant? by Gojira+Shipi-Taro · · Score: 2, Insightful

      They went to FB for attention. Once they realized this was a news story, he figured it was time for their 15 minutes. A normal bad driver you would use the ratings system. Something criminal, you call the police. If you're banking on getting some cash for a TV Movie or something, you go on FB.

      Same as if he had encountered a killer in any other profession on the day of the killings.

      I have no idea why people defend cab companies. This would have happened just as easily there. The guy had no record, he would have passed any cab company's background check. He just would have charged the riders twice as much, taken longer routes, and been slow to show up.

      --
      "Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my Presidency. I'm fucked."; ~ Donald J. Trump
    7. Re: how is that relevant? by silentcoder · · Score: 5, Interesting

      This is the company who bragged about how their revenue spiked during the Sydney shooting - all the people calling Uber because they are desperate to get the hell out of the crossfire...

      I get the feelingthat "giving a shit about people's lives" is even lower on their priority list than most corporations - which takes some doing.

      --
      Unicode killed the ASCII-art *
    8. Re: how is that relevant? by ooloorie · · Score: 2

      When people of a single profession hang out together, they usually collude to screw their customers and protect themselves from prosecution. You see that with police, stock brokers, doctors (malpractice), lawyers (lobbying and regulation), publishers and authors (copyright lobbying), etc. It's a recipe for collusion and coverups. Destroying such collusion and replacing it with public reviews and statistics is a good thing.

    9. Re: how is that relevant? by vel-ex-tech · · Score: 2

      Personally, my favorite part about reading the comments on this story is how many people are leaping to the conclusion that Uber was this guy's day job.

      The guy was an insurance adjuster. If I were to speculate, I'd guess that he hadn't been turned away from any cab companies, since I doubt he was looking for full time work as a taxi driver.

    10. Re:how is that relevant? by amRadioHed · · Score: 2

      It's not relevant that he was an Uber driver, it's relevant that he continued to work in the middle of the shooting spree. It's at the very least unusual behaviour that is worth noting.

      --
      We hope your rules and wisdom choke you / Now we are one in everlasting peace
  2. Re:Here we go! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Not sure we need to ban anything, but it would be wise for Uber to implement a "No Shooting People While Working For Us" policy.

  3. Uber does not seem to be involved... by sjbe · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Ok they keep mentioning the Uber thing as if it is somehow relevant. The guy killed some people then did some unrelated stuff and then was caught. Why do I give a shit that the unrelated stuff happened to be driving for Uber? I'm pretty sure some regular taxi drivers do some nefarious shit too sometimes. If he used Uber to find victims then that is relevant but I've heard no indication that is the case here. If Uber did background checks on this person then all it indicates is the general futility of most background checks. I know Uber is all the watercooler talk these days but this is just bad journalism.

    I have no stance on Uber. Never used them and I have no firm opinion (positive or negative) regarding their company, products or services. I just don't see how they are relevant to this story.

    1. Re:Uber does not seem to be involved... by tehcyder · · Score: 4, Funny

      Agreed, this story needed at least one of: 3D printed guns, Elon Musk or bitcoins to tick the required number of slashdot boxes.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
    2. Re:Uber does not seem to be involved... by rmdingler · · Score: 3, Insightful
      Oh, they're involved all right... the victims' families have someone to sue.

      Ask Tracy Morgan if Walmart was involved.

      --
      Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.

      Ernest Hemingway

    3. Re:Uber does not seem to be involved... by fluffernutter · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I saw these kinds of comments coming, and I googled on 'taxi driver shooters'. I found many Taxi drivers getting shot in the US but none actually doing any shootings. The taxi industry knows who they are, so it is far less likely someone who is on the edge will engage in an industry that takes their fingerprints before they can participate.

      --
      Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
    4. Re:Uber does not seem to be involved... by idontgno · · Score: 5, Funny

      Does Uber uses systemd in their technological infrastructure? That might explain it.

      --
      Welcome to the Panopticon. Used to be a prison, now it's your home.
    5. Re:Uber does not seem to be involved... by Zocalo · · Score: 4, Funny

      systemd uber alles?

      --
      UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
    6. Re:Uber does not seem to be involved... by Pseudonymous+Powers · · Score: 2

      Slashdot has a strange obsession with Uber. They post literally everything Uber related. I just don't get it.

      People who travel for business a lot seem to really be into Uber. I therefore postulate that the editors of Slashdot must travel a lot for business.

      This is very relevant subject to most Slashdot users, in fact. I myself am a frequent business traveler. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to "catch a flight" and travel upstairs to see what kind of progress my colleague "Mom" has made with the We Need More Pizza Rolls project.

    7. Re:Uber does not seem to be involved... by Locke2005 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Right... that's the same kind of reasoning that makes me always carry a bomb when I take an airplane, because the odds against their being 2 bombs on the same aircraft are phenomenal!

      --
      I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
    8. Re:Uber does not seem to be involved... by SethJohnson · · Score: 4, Informative

      I found many Taxi drivers getting shot in the US but none actually doing any shootings.

      In addition to the famous documentary starring Robert Deniro and Jody Foster, I can also attest that a taxi driver in Austin, TX killed two of my coworkers in the year 2000. They had gone to a nearby bar after work to see a boxing match on PPV and took a taxi back to pick up their cars at the office. Midway back to the office, the driver got into an argument with his two passengers and pulled to the side of the road.They attempted to flee and he shot them in the back. He told police they had tried to rob him.

      He worked for an independent, local cab company at the time of the murders.

      --
      $5 / month hosted VPS on linux = awesome!
  4. Re:Here we go! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    They don't work for Uber, they are simply contractors. Uber bears no responsibility for this massacre that was committed by their employee ... err .. associate ... umm ... acquaintance.

  5. Re:Here we go! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Hey, he didn't shoot any Uber riders, did he? Just as safe as any other transportation service.

  6. Re:Here we go! by 14erCleaner · · Score: 3, Informative

    Not sure we need to ban anything, but it would be wise for Uber to implement a "No Shooting People While Working For Us" policy.

    I'm sure Lyft already has this policy.

    --
    Have you read my blog lately?
  7. Rating by puddingebola · · Score: 5, Funny

    One star. Decent aim, but poor customer service.

  8. Irony by PvtVoid · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The irony is that he had to have a license to drive his car, but to buy the handgun? Not so much.

    1. Re:Irony by Kohath · · Score: 4, Funny

      There's no explicitly enumerated Constitutional right to drive a car. The right to bear arms is enumerated clearly.

      But here's something to think about:. What problems were solved by requiring him to have a license to drive a car?

      What problems do drivers licenses solve for anyone? Do they ensure that all licensed drivers are good drivers? Do they keep unlicensed drivers off the roads? Do criminals and other lawless people obey drivers license laws? If you lost your drivers license would you drive without one if a dire emergency required it?

      We would be better off without the licensing requirement for drivers over 21. A court could still issue an order to prohibit a bad driver, or a drunk driver, or whomever else from driving. The only difference would be that courts provide a person with due process.

      Licensing requirements for driving mostly provide the government with an excuse and a mechanism to bully and control and tax ordinary citizens.

      And also note: there would be a lot fewer "driving while black" police stops without this excuse to bully people.

  9. slashdot mangled the heavy metal umlat by Thud457 · · Score: 3, Funny

    The shooter snapped because, driving for Uber, he couldn't make a living wage in a high-rent city like Kalamazoo.

    --

    the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

    1. Re:slashdot mangled the heavy metal umlat by quetwo · · Score: 2

      High-rent city like Kalamazoo? The Kalamazoo that you can easily rent a nice 800 ft^2 apartment for $400/month? It's the same city where the median house sells for $65,000.

    2. Re:slashdot mangled the heavy metal umlat by Hognoxious · · Score: 2

      It's someone who does a google search on a few key words without understanding the context or tone of the post they're replying to and pastes the first thing that comes up in a vain attempt to appear knowledgeable.

      Like this flid: http://slashdot.org/comments.p...

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  10. Re:where were you? by fluffernutter · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Only in the movies do the good guys with guns do the right thing in the right place at the right time.

    --
    Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
  11. Cue Rockstar Games in 3..2...1 by Alumoi · · Score: 2

    GTA: Uber
    Drive a cab through realistic cities! Shoot people between rides!
    Based on a true story!

  12. Re:Why Uber is relevant. by fluffernutter · · Score: 2

    Municipalities have gone through great lengths to integrate taxi services with communities. To make sure that the industry performs a function that people need in the way that all people need it. To ensure that we know who these people are, and the fact that they are scrutinized somewhat before driving means that they are trustworthy. Uber threatens to completely undo all that.

    --
    Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
  13. Proposed K-12 CS Standards: Uber Driver Safety by theodp · · Score: 2

    Wonder if the Computer Science Teachers Association will modify their just-released proposed standards, which suggests teaching kids that tech has eliminated the need to worry about one's Uber Driver. From the 2016 CSTA K-12 CS Standards: "Compare the positive and negative impacts of computing on behavior and culture (e.g., Evolution to Uber: in 1970s OK to hitch-hike; 1980s dangerous to hitch-hike; 2015 OK to share ride with person met few minutes ago on app; airbnb - worldwide accommodation searches in homes, apts., etc.),"

  14. Re:where were you? by Zocalo · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I think you missed the sarcasm in the OP's post. One of the NRA's arguments against gun control is that if everyone had guns this kind of thing wouldn't happen because the good guys with the guns would either bring down the shooter almost immediately, or the knowledge of this would deter the shooter from drawing their gun(s) in the first place. The counter argument by those pro-gun control is that this never actually happens, even in states like Michigan where the gun laws are loose enough to make it possible that it might. The counter-counter argument is that shooters in such states tend to target places with restrictions on carrying guns... and round and round it goes with no progress in any direction.

    --
    UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
  15. Elon, please help by PopeRatzo · · Score: 2

    This story demonstrates why we need self-driving cars and self-shooting guns,.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
    1. Re:Elon, please help by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      ...and self-shooting guns,.

      For decades, we've heard the mantra that "guns don't kill people, people kill people," but that all changes today! Thanks to a new alliance with Tesla and Google, we introduce the new HK-01 autonomous murder engine! This stylish chassis will eagerly accept any HK model firearm, has an array of high-capacity lithium ion batteries for mobility and to operate the target selection firmware provided by Google. Now let's turn it on and greet our first production grade HK-01 self-driven shooter.

      "Meatbag detected, G+ profile not found, resolving issue." *much weapons fire*

    2. Re:Elon, please help by PopeRatzo · · Score: 2

      I had a slightly different idea for the self-shooting gun. I figure the best way to minimize gun violence is to design guns so that if you pick one up and point it at someone, the barrel swivels around and shoots you in the face.

      Thus, the "self-shooting gun".

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
  16. Re:Right to life by Locke2005 · · Score: 2

    Well, now I have to always carry a gun to protect me from batshit insane Uber drivers... (It may be time to change my signature.)

    --
    I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
  17. Re:where were you? by KGIII · · Score: 2

    That is not actually true. Google is your friend. It happens with surprising frequency, I was kind of surprised too. While I do carry, I have no intent to run in and save you in an active shooter situation. Not a chance. I am not Rambo and I don't like you that much.

    --
    "So long and thanks for all the fish."
  18. Re:where were you? by KGIII · · Score: 2

    Here are 10 cases where armed citizens took down active shooters:
    http://www.personaldefenseworl...

    Google will find more.

    --
    "So long and thanks for all the fish."
  19. Subject for a new Scorcese film: Uber Driver by Optic7 · · Score: 2

    A new take on his classic, Taxi Driver.

  20. Re:Here we go! by Flea+of+Pain · · Score: 4, Funny

    If that doesn't work, how about: "Uber: Ride Shotgun"

    Too soon?

    --
    Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.