A worker opened fire Wednesday at Milwaukee’s Molson Coors complex, killing five colleagues before taking his own life, police said.
The gunman was identified as a 51-year-old Milwaukee man who authorities say died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Molson Coors CEO Gavin Hattersley called the shooter ‘an active brewery employee.’ The gunman was an employee who had been fired earlier in the day but returned with a silencer gun and opened fire, police sources told CBS2.
He is believed to have stolen another worker’s pass to regain access and was found dead by police at the scene in an apparent suicide.
None of those who died have been identified.
CEO Hattersley said in a statement: ‘Unfortunately, I am devastated to share that we lost five other members of our family in this tragic incident. There are no words to express the deep sadness many of us are feeling right now.’
He said the office would be closed the rest of the week and the brewery shuttered ‘for the time being’ to give people time to cope.
Police said no other individuals were injured in the incident.
Milwaukee Police and Milwaukee Fire Dept. personnel respond to reports of an active shooting at the Molson Coors Brewing Co. campus in Milwaukee, Wednesday
Molson Coors said Wednesday there was an active shooter on its Milwaukee campus and ordered its employees to find a safe place to hide
Seven people including the gunman have reportedly been killed in the shooting
President Donald Trump sent his condolences in the wake of the shooting, ahead of his planned press conference into the US response to coronavirus.
Employees were ordered to find a safe place to hide when the gunman opened fire.
One of the employees said they received an email saying the shooter was located in the stairwell of one of the brewing facility’s buildings.
The incident occurred at a sprawling complex that includes a mix of corporate offices and brewing facilities.
Officers were working to clear the more than 20 buildings in the complex where more than 1,000 people work. Police Chief Alfonso Morales said authorities believe the shooter operated alone and that the threat was over.
The facility is home to corporate customer service, finance, human resources and engineering.
Tours take people to underground caves where beer was once stored, a saloon with intricate woodwork, a stein hall with stained-glass windows, a champagne room meeting hall with leaded-glass windows, and an outdoor beer garden that can hold 300 people.
The MillerCoors headquarters in Milwaukee. Molson Coors Beverage Company confirmed the incident in a tweet Wednesday afternoon
A police armored vehicle from the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Department moves into the Highland Boulevard side of the Molson Coors corporate area as police respond to a shooting
FBI agents in tactical gear respond to reports of an active shooter
President Donald Trump sent his condolences in the wake of the shooting, ahead of his planned press conference into the US response to coronavirus.
The FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were among the agencies who responded to the shooting.
Attorney General Josh Kaul called the shooting ‘gut-wrenching.’
Molson Coors Beverage Company had confirmed the incident in a tweet Wednesday afternoon, writing: ‘There is an active situation at our Milwaukee facility and we are working closely with the Milwaukee Police Department. Our top priority is our employees and we’ll provide updates in conjunction with the police as we are able.’
Relatives of employees said they received texts from those on lockdown inside.
James Boyles said his wife Lasonya Ragdales works at Molson Coors in the claims department.
She was texting from inside the building and told her husband that there was active shooter and she was locked in a room with a bunch of co-workers.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi wrote on Twitter: ‘We are closely following developments surrounding the shooting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
‘Our prayers are with the families who have lost loved ones and the first responders protecting the community. Congress has a duty to them all to take real action to #EndGunViolence.’
There is a heavy police presence in the area, along with fire trucks and ambulances