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Michigan gunman reportedly worked as Uber driver between shootings
The gunman had allegedly passed the service's background checks.
Uber has confirmed that the man arrested over the shooting and killing of six people in Kalamazoo, Michigan last Saturday worked as a driver for the company. According to reports, the gunman may have even given rides to customers before, and possibly even during, the night of the incident. One passenger told local news station Wood TV that he believed he was driven by gunman Jason Dalton hours after the shootings happened across the area.
While in the car, he asked the driver whether he was the gunman -- Dalton apparently said he wasn't. The passenger and his group were taken to their hotel, which had a police presence with two cars parked outside. He said he didn't realize the connection until he saw a photo of the suspect on the news.
Another man said he was taken on a high-speed Uber ride across lawns and through medians by Dalton. He said he escaped from the car when it came to a stop. As The Washington Post report notes, it's not certain whether any degree of security check would pick out a man that previously had no criminal history. According to the paper's sources inside Uber, Dalton had passed the company's background checks.
In an online statement, Uber's Chief Security Joe Sullivan said that the company had been in contact with the police to co-operate in any way it can. The Michigan shooting case comes not long since Uber settled two class-action lawsuits for $28.5 million, after the company was accused of exaggerating the safety of its service.
