Kalamazoo shooting victims

A dedicated teacher who mentored numerous students, a gardener who enjoyed sharing what she grew, and a high school senior who always had a smile on his face are among the victims of a weekend shooting rampage in western Michigan authorities said was carried out by Jason Dalton, 45, Feb. 20, 2016. All told, six people were killed and one was left in critical condition. Four of them were killed in two vehicles outside of a restaurant, while a father and son were shot at a car dealership.

Dalton admitted "his involvement in these incidents," according to Kalamazoo County prosecutor Jeff Getting, and was charged Feb. 22, 2016, with six counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder in the series of random shootings.

Here's a look at the victims...

Mary Jo Nye

Mary Jo Nye, 60, of Battle Creek, Michigan was driving a Chevrolet Cruze in the Cracker Barrel parking lot when she was killed. The retired English teacher served as "a motherly figure" to students at an alternative high school for at-risk teens, coaching even the most reluctant ones to become better writers.

While Nye didn't have children of her own, she played an important role in the lives of students.

"She was an English teacher, but she was a lot more than that to the students who don't come from great home lives," said Tara Egnatuk, assistant director of the Calhoun Community High School where Nye worked. Nye helped launch the school by working on writing its charter.

Two passengers in Nye's vehicle, Barbara Hawthorne, 68, and Dorothy Brown, 74, were also killed. Another passenger, a 14-year-old is currently in critical condition.

Abigail Kopf

Abigail Kopf, 14, was a passenger in Barbara Jo Nye's car and is currently in critical condition at Bronson Hospital in Kalamazoo. Her grandmother, Barbara Hawthorne, did not survive the shooting.

Barbara Hawthorne

CBS affiliate WWMT reported that Barbara Hawthorne was 68 years old. She was from Battle Creek, Michigan. Hawthorne retired in 2008 after 22 years working at Kellogg Company, according to a statement by the company CEO John Bryant. She was the grandmother of Abigail Kopf, also shot in the same vehicle.

Dorothy Brown

Dorothy Brown, 74, of Battle Creek, Michigan was in the backseat of Mary Jo Nye's Chevrolet Cruze when she was killed.

After Dorothy Brown moved in two doors down from Patrick Mallon Jr. in Battle Creek about 10 years ago, the woman everyone knew as Judy would stop by to share herbs she had grown in her garden, her neighbor said.

Mallon said Brown had two grown sons, with one living in California and the other in Florida.

Mary Lou Nye

Mary Lou Nye, 62, from Baroda, Michigan is believed to be Mary Jo Nye's sister-in-law. She was driving a Oldsmobile mini-van, and is one of the four women killed in the Cracker Barrel parking lot, according to Michigan State Police.

She was married to Chris Nye. The couple had two sons, though one had died at a young age from a heart ailment, according to a neighbor, Carol Dinges. Nye worked part time in recent years in the preschool and childcare program at Immanuel Lutheran Ministries in Bridgman, just a few miles from Baroda.

Tyler Smith

Tyler Smith, 17, of Kalamazoo was killed Saturday night, February 20, along with his father, Richard, outside of a Kalamazoo car dealership.

Tyler Smith spent half of each school day at a technical center focusing on marketing, Mattawan Consolidated Schools Superintendent Robin Buchler said. She added that her son, also a senior, described Smith as "well-liked" with a constant "smile on his face."

Richard Smith

Richard Smith was the father of Tyler Smith, both killed outside of the Kalamazoo car dealership. CBS affiliate WWMT reported that Richard Smith is 53 years old, and is from Kalamazoo.