These Are The Victims Of The Kalamazoo Shooting

Those killed were remembered fondly by friends, family and neighbors.

Authorities in Michigan have confirmed the identities of six people killed in an hourslong shooting rampage Saturday.

They include four women who were attacked in the parking lot of a Cracker Barrel restaurant, and a man and his teenage son who were killed at a Seelye Automotive Kia dealership a few miles away, Kalamazoo Public Safety and Michigan State Police said.

Two others were injured, including Tiana Carruthers, 25, who was shot in the arms and legs outside an apartment complex and is expected to survive after undergoing surgery. Despite her injuries, Carruthers was able to describe suspected shooter Jason B. Dalton and his vehicle to police and later help them pick Dalton out of a lineup.

“Our hearts reach out to all families touched by this senseless tragedy," her mother, Iona Carruthers, said in a statement Tuesday.

Fourteen-year-old Abigail Kopf, a close family friend of victim Barbara Hawthorne, who was known as "Grandma Barb" to the teen, remains in critical condition and is "fighting for her life," her parents said in a statement released by Bronson Children's Hospital.

Dalton, 45, of Kalamazoo, was taken into custody Sunday morning.

Here’s what we know so far about the victims.

Tyler Smith, 17
Tyler Smith via Facebook
Tyler Smith was a senior at Mattawan High School in Van Buren County, just west of Kalamazoo County. He and his father, Richard Smith, were looking at cars at a dealership when they were both killed in the shooting rampage Saturday night.

The teen was enrolled in a marketing entrepreneurship program, MLive reported, and was popular among his peers, school staff said.

"He was really a great kid and really well liked," Robin Buchler, the school district superintendent, told MLive.

“[My son has] known Tyler for years -- they’re both seniors this year -- and he just said he’s devastated,” she also told local news station WOOD. “I think [my son] dreads walking into class tomorrow and not seeing Tyler in that seat where he’s been all year, all semester.”

Smith's sports league, Kingdom Soccer Club, remembered him as "a talented soccer player, a great teammate, and an exemplary young man."
Richard Smith, 53
Richard Smith via Facebook
Richard Smith (center) was killed alongside his son Tyler during the shooting rampage at the Kalamazoo car dealership.

In a Facebook post, his wife Laurie Smith called him her best friend and her rock and thanked her friends for consoling her and her daughter over the loss of both Richard and Tyler.

"Thank you all for your support as Em and I and our whole family try to figure out how to go on after losing our son, grandson, brother, cousin, nephew, friend, husband, soulmate, uncle, daddy, son-in-law, love of my life," she wrote.
Mary Lou Nye, 62
GoFundMe
Mary Lou Nye, a native of Eaton Rapids, Michigan, was the driver of a minivan parked in a Cracker Barrel restaurant parking lot when she was shot and killed.

"Every time I spoke with her, she was just pleasant," her neighbor Carol Dinges told The Associated Press.

She was the sister-in-law, friend and college roommate of victim Mary Jo Nye, MLive reported, and recently worked part time at a preschool and childcare program.

The two women were in Kalamazoo to see a show at their alma mater, Western Michigan University -- something they did together about once a month, a family member said. MLive reports they were on their way back to their cars after the show. Mary Jo Nye was riding in a separate vehicle, with other victims of the shooting.

A GoFundMe funeral fund for Mary Lou Nye and Mary Jo Nye has raised more than $5,000 as of Monday morning.
Mary Jo Nye, 60
Mary Jo Nye lived in Battle Creek, Michigan, where she had worked at an alternative high school teaching English to at-risk teens, the AP reported.

Nye helped launch Calhoun Community High School and retired four years ago. The assistant director of the school told the AP that Nye acted in "a position of mentorship, kind of a motherly figure" for a lot of kids.

Nye was the sister-in-law of Mary Lou Nye, who was also killed. The two met as roommates at Western Michigan University before Mary Jo married Mary Lou's brother.

Nye was parked outside of a Cracker Barrel restaurant with Barbara Hawthorne and Dorothy Brown, and all three were killed when the gunman shot into the car. Abigail Kopf, who had been sitting in the front seat, remains in critical condition.
Barbara Hawthorne, 68
Barbara Hawthorne was a resident of Battle Creek, Michigan, and was in the car with Mary Jo Nye and Dorothy Brown.

She worked for the food manufacturing company Kellogg's for 22 years before retiring in 2008, according to a company statement.

“We are deeply saddened by these tragic events and brokenhearted to learn that one of the victims, Barbara Hawthorne, belonged to our Kellogg family," company Chairman and CEO John Bryant said. "... Our thoughts and prayers are with Barbara’s family and friends, as well as all of the victims of this crime and their families."
Dorothy Brown, 74
Neighbors said Dorothy Brown, whom her friends called Judy, was "a sweet, sweet old lady" and a wonderful neighbor always up for a chat, according to MLive.

She often shared herbs from her garden with her neighbors and the AP reports she had two grown sons, one in California and another in Florida.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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