KALAMAZOO (WKZO-AM) — A judge has ordered a competency evaluation for the man accused of killing six people and wounding two others in three separate shootings in the Kalamazoo area on Feb. 20.
The request was made by Eusebio Solis, the attorney of 45-year-old suspect Jason Dalton, during a probable cause hearingwith prosecutors on Thursday.
Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting said Michigan law requires Dalton be declared competent to stand trial.
“Competency to stand trial goes to his state of mind now,” Getting said. “It’s not reflective of what his state of mind may have been during the commission of these crimes.”
Getting said the evaluation will be finished within the next two months and it will not determine whether Dalton is legally insane. Getting also said there’s no talk of a plea deal, and he refused to say whether investigators have discovered a motive.
Dalton is charged with six counts of open murder, two counts of attempted murder and eight related gun felonies.
Getting said Dalton’s next hearing is scheduled for May 10, but could be moved up if the evaluation is completed sooner.
– Anthony Pollreisz
