Alleged gunman worked as Uber driver during deadly shooting spree; passenger shares story
KALAMAZOO COUNTY, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - In an exclusive interview with Newschannel 3, a passenger of Jason Dalton's details his Uber experience before Dalton allegedly shot eight people across Kalamazoo County.
Walter Smith-Randolph will have the story at 6 and 11.
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Matt Mellen is counting his lucky stars today.
"[It was a] pretty scary ordeal especially to be so closely involved with it. I'm just happy I'm safe," says Mellen.
The Kalamazoo man was a passenger in alleged gunman Jason Dalton's car while he was working as an Uber driver before allegedly opening fire on eight people across Kalamazoo County.
Mellen says Dalton was acting strange the entire time.
"He introduced himself with a different name than what Jason was that comes up for Uber," says Mellen who works at a local brewery.
"We were driving through medians, driving through the lawn, speeding along and when we came to a stop, I jumped out the car and ran away."
Mellen says that's when he called police.
"He wouldn't stop. He just kind of kept looking at me like -- 'don't you want to get to your friend's house' and I'm like I want to get there alive."
Once he got to his friend's house, he told his fiancée what happened.
She posted this warning so others wouldn't be harmed.
"We posted the picture on Facebook just so our friends wouldn't get in the car with him if they had to take an Uber that night," says Mellen.
Mellen says he jumped out of Dalton's car around 4:30 Saturday afternoon.
Police believe Dalton opened fire at the Meadows Townhomes around 6 o'clock before allegedly shooting 7 more people between 10 o'clock and 10:30.
"I'm upset because I tried contacting Uber after I had talked to the police saying that we needed to get this guy off the road," says Mellen.
