KALAMAZOO, MI - A pickup truck was fully off the road, traveling down the right shoulder of North Westnedge Avenue when it found and ran down nine cyclists there on June 7.

A witness said all four of the pickup truck's tires were to the right side of the fog line (the white line that separates the roadway from the shoulder) when it began striking the cyclists.

"At this point, he saw bikers flying in the air as the collision was made," investigators stated in reports they made after interviewing witnesses and reconstruction the crash, which left five cyclists dead and four badly injured.

Speaking of a witness, they reported, "He also stated that he never saw brake lights come on from the truck" and he could not tell if its engine was revving or slowing.

According to police, the witness said the cyclists were northbound in the 5500 block of North Westnedge Avenue near Markin Glen County Park shortly after 6 p.m. as was earlier reported. And they were to the right of the fog line when they were struck from behind by the truck, which was doing at least 58 mph in the 35-mph section of road.

Police reported that a man who was exiting Markin Glen Park on foot after doing some fishing that day said he saw the pickup truck driving erratically "and heard someone yell 'Get out of the way."

According to a report, which did not provide identifications for some of the people interviewed by police, he said about half of the passenger's side of the truck was to the right of the fog line when he jumped out of the way. But he was incapacitated after that and unable to warn the cyclists, who police investigators estimate were about 200 feet further north of the entrance to Markin Glen Park when the first cyclist was struck.

About 200 pages of information and more than a dozen compact discs of video and audio evidence were released Wednesday about the June 7 pickup truck-cyclist crash. Working with the Kalamazoo County Prosecutor's Office and a host of other police agencies, the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office provided information to the Kalamazoo Gazette care of a Freedom of Information Act filing.

Police alleged that Charles Pickett Jr., 50, of Battle Creek, took handfuls of pain pills and muscle relaxers less than two hours before he climbed into his full-sized 1996 Chevrolet Silverado on June 7 and started driving erratically.

He was arrested after allegedly trying to flee the scene of the crash on foot. He has been charged with five counts of operating while intoxicated causing death, as well as five counts of second-degree murder for killing five members of The Chain Gang, a loose-knit bicycle club that meets each week on Tuesdays for a 28-mile ride.

Pickett, who remains in the Kalamazoo County Jail, also faces four charges of operating while intoxicated causing serious injury, specifically operating under the influence of a controlled substance.

Here are 15 other things to know from the volume of investigators' information:



-According to police reports, Pickett was stressed by the apparent breakdown of his relationship with a girlfriend and the death of a cousin.

-Less than two hours before the crash, he downed 16 to 20 Flexeril pills (a muscle relaxer) and 10 Tramadol pills (a narcotic-like pain reliever).

-In the pickup truck, police found two plastic bags containing a total of 3.35 grams of marijuana and two pieces of foil paper containing 0.1 grams of methamphetamine. They also found a cloth bag containing: two bottles of rum; a bottle of vodka; two cans of beer; a bottle of wine; and a bottle of pineapple juice.

-After the crash, Pickett allegedly ran a short distance and hid in a wooded area about 210 feet northeast of where his truck came to rest. Pieces of bicycles were stuck to the vehicle and near the truck.

-At the scene Pickett did not readily respond to verbal commands and appeared to be impaired, but not by alcohol, according to first responders who transported him to Borgess Medical Center. "They advised his condition had become progressively worse while he was in the ambulance. The suspect's level of consciousness had decreased and he began to pass out. They had a difficult time getting him to regain consciousness."

-At Borgess, a drug recognition expert said he was unable to administer a breath alcohol test on Pickett but reported "there was no odor of consumed intoxicants, nor any other indicator of alcohol intoxication."

-Multiple impacts with the pickup truck vaulted some of the cyclists off the east shoulder of the roadway and into a retaining fence. Others were carried up the roadway and thrown north of the truck. Sgt. James Campbell, of the Michigan State Police, reported, "Some of the bikes were thrown off the east side of the roadway to the east. Some were run over. Some were located north of the final rest of the truck and one tire was located in the bed of the truck."

-The total distance of the crash site was 335 feet, measuring from the first point of evidence found by police (a bicycle helmet) to the furthest point in the north (a bicycle), according to the report by Campbell. He stated that the cyclists were on the east shoulder of the road at or near the painted fog line. "It was unclear if all the bikes were single file or if they were two abreast at any time," he reported.

-A male motorist who arrived at the crash scene at about 6:13 p.m. said the pickup truck was still steaming when he arrived but he did not see the driver. He said one of the cyclists who was killed came to rest on a fence. Two others came to rest one on top of one another. He attempted to comfort a male survivor was in the middle of the road.

-The crash occurred 200 feet north of the entrance to Markin Glen County Park at a speed of not less than 58 mph, according to a state police report. It occurred in a 35-mph section of roadway.

-At least four 911 calls were received by police dispatchers during the half-hour before the crash. They included a 6:07 p.m. call reporting the pickup truck near Arboretum Drive and Drake Road on the western fringe of the city of Kalamazoo. A 6:19 p.m. call reported a hit and run on Drake Road near Kalamazoo Central High School.

-Shortly after 6 p.m., the blue pickup truck was seen driving south on Nichols Road and was tailgating another truck, a motorist said. The pickup swerved in and out of traffic and used the southbound bicycle lane to pass the other truck. At West Main Street, it moved into the far left lane but continue straight and a motorist there said he had to speed up to 60 mph in order to avoid being rear-ended by it.

-A man and woman reported that the pickup cut through their yard, mowing down a flower bed between a tree and their house before running back onto the road at high speed.

-In a trauma room at Borgess, Pickett was glassy-eyed and not responsive to verbal stimulus although his eyes were open and he was looked around the room, according to police reports. He made grunting noises and did a great deal of jaw clenching and tooth grinding. He was restrained and outfitted with a cervical collar. "Occasionally, the suspect attempted to bite either the cervical collar or anyone attempting to restrain him." After treatment, his level of consciousness increased, "However, he became more agitated and combative at that time."

-At 1 p.m. on June 8, the day following the crash, Pickett asked a sheriff's deputy on duty in his hospital room why he was in police custody. "He said he knew he was in trouble and he probably needed a lawyer," the deputy reported. "I told him detectives would be up later to speak to him. He said, 'I was in a wreck.' 'I killed someone.' I responded with, "Are you just saying (that) or asking me?" He said, "Just saying." During the brief conversation, the deputy reported that Pickett was crying.

5 bicyclists killed, 4 injured in crash 89 Gallery: 5 bicyclists killed, 4 injured in crash

MLive writer Al Jones may be contacted at ajones5@mlive.com. Follow me on Twitter at ajones5_al.