Milwaukee shooting: Five dead after gunman opens fire at MillerCoors offices
Five people have been killed after a shooting rampage at the MillerCoors corporate campus in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The gunman was identified as a 51-year-old man who killed five employees at the complex before taking his own life, police said.
The suspect is reported to be a former employee at the site. Authorities offered now immediate motive for the attack.
Donald Trump addressed the shooting before speaking at the White House with reporters about steps his administration is taking to combat the coronavirus. He said the attacker killed five people and wounded others.
“Our hearts break for them and their loved ones,” the president said. “We send our condolences. We’ll be with them, and it’s a terrible thing, a terrible thing.”
Local media previously reported as many as seven people had died in the shooting, citing unnamed law enforcement sources.
At approximately 14.10 local time [20.10 GMT] on Wednesday afternoon, a company email had told employees to seek shelter immediately.
It said that there was an active shooter located in or near South Packaging, Building 4, in a stairwell, on the second floor.
WTMJ4-TV reports that nearby businesses including Harley Davidson were placed on lockdown, as well as Story Elementary school, Woodlands School and Marquette High School.
There had been significant police activity, with dozens of squad cars seen at N 40th St. and W State St.
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 610 people work in the Milwaukee office across human resources, financing and information technology.
The company has two nearby breweries that employ a further 750 people.
MPD is investigating a critical incident in the 4000 block of W. State Street. Please stay clear of the area at this time.
— Milwaukee Police (@MilwaukeePolice)
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett later told reporters multiple people have been killed in the incident but was unable to give a precise number.
“It is a horrible, horrible day for the employees here,” he told reporters.
“A very rough day for anyone who is close to this situation.”
Before Wednesday's shooting, there had been three mass killings nationwide in 2020, with 12 total victims. All have been shootings. In 2019, there were 44 mass killings, with 224 total victims.
The last mass shooting in the Milwaukee area was in August 2012, when white supremacist Wade Michael Page fatally shot six people and wounded four others at a Sikh temple in suburban Oak Creek. Page killed himself after being wounded in a shootout with police.
The worst mass shooting in the area in the past 20 years was in 2005, when seven people were killed and four wounded at a church service in Brookfield, a Milwaukee suburb. The shooter killed himself.
Additional reporting by agencies
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