GRAND RAPIDS (WKZO-AM) — Residents in murder suspect Jason Dalton’s Cooper Township neighborhood say he had been exhibiting signs of paranoia recently, and a Facebook complaint from an Uber customer about his reckless driving may suggest the kinds of erratic behavior that can be signs of a violent break.
So says former Secret Service Agent Jason Russell, a Portage Northern and Western Michigan University graduate who now consults with companies to identify potentially dangerous employees. He is the founder of Secure Education Consultants based in Grand Rapids.
Russell said he would not be surprised if Dalton recently had an emotionally traumatic event happen in his life. He said a ‘triggering event’ is often what sets spree killers and rapid mass murderers off.
Russell said such killers will often talk about or threaten violent behavior. They may have a fascination with a previous attack and begin to gather weapons.
“It’s something that, as a society, we’re going to have to start dealing with,” Russell said. “Either from the mental health side, the law enforcement side or from the workplace violence side.”
But Russell said the same behaviors that are exhibited by an active shooter, may also appear in someone who never turns to violence. He says knowing when to intervene, and guessing which warning signs should be taken seriously is not an easy task.
Prosecutor Jeff Getting refused to discuss Dalton’s family situation or his mood during an early Sunday morning news conference, or what his motivation might have been.
– John McNeill
