Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Tuesday, February 23, 2016
(KALAMAZOO) - One of the victims in the Kalamazoo, Michigan random shootings Saturday is former Brown County resident 74-year-old Dorothy “Judy” Brown.
Brown moved from Nashville back to Battle Creek, Michigan about 15 years ago to be closer to her brother.
Brown led the Brown County Chamber of Commerce in the 1990s. Everyone knew her as "Judy."
"She was quick with a wave or a hello, always up for a little chit-chat. A sweet, sweet old lady," said Daniel Arnold, Brown's her next-door neighbor for the last three years in Michigan. "You couldn't ask for a better neighbor."
When she was shot, Brown was with two friends, 60-year-old Mary Jo Nye and 68-year-old Barbara Hawthorne, and a 14-year-old girl in a Chevrolet Cruze in the parking lot of the Cracker Barrel restaurant Saturday night, according to the MLive Kalamazoo Gazette.
Nye, Brown and Hawthorne were all killed; the girl is clinging to life at a hospital.
The accused shooter, 45-year-old Jason B. Dalton, was arraigned Monday on six counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder. Fifteen minutes before he shot Brown and the others, police say he killed a father and son at a car dealership, and earlier, shot a woman at an apartment complex.
Dalton also has ties to Indiana; he was formerly a student at Eastern Hancock High School in Hancock County.
Friends in Michigan remembered Brown's love for others.
Brown had just retired last spring from Guardian Finance and Advocacy Services, helping seniors manage their money and often making home visits.
Her former boss told the reporters that he had just spoken to Brown last week and she said she was "having a ball" during her retirement.
1340 AM WBIW welcomes comments and suggestions by calling 812.277.1340 during normal business hours or by email at comments@wbiw.com
© Ad-Venture Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.