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At Least 6 People Killed in Shooting at Molson Coors in Milwaukee Gunman Kills 5 Co-Workers at Molson Coors in Milwaukee
(about 1 hour later)
MILWAUKEE — At least six people were killed on Wednesday afternoon after a gunman, apparently a disgruntled employee, opened fire at a Molson Coors complex in Milwaukee, local and federal officials said. MILWAUKEE — In a city renowned for its brewing tradition, the sprawling Molson Coors campus was an icon in itself, a place known for decades to Milwaukee locals as the old Miller Brewery. But on Wednesday afternoon, officials said, a worker still in his uniform stormed the facility and began shooting.
“It’s frightening,” said Representative Gwen Moore, a Democrat whose district includes Milwaukee. She said the gunman was an employee of the brewing company who was in uniform. “It’s anathema to the kind of culture that we expect. This is heartbreaking because Milwaukee is a very friendly city.” He killed five people, all fellow employees.
Police officers blocked off traffic near the site of the shooting on Wednesday evening as reporters gathered near the faded Victorians and brick apartment buildings within a short walk of the complex. Mayor Tom Barrett said the gunman was believed to be among the dead. City officials expected to provide more details later Wednesday, calling it a “very fluid situation.” “It’s frightening,” said Representative Gwen Moore, a Democrat whose district includes Milwaukee. “It’s anathema to the kind of culture that we expect. This is heartbreaking because Milwaukee is a very friendly city.”
The Milwaukee police did not immediately respond to calls and emails seeking comment, but they said on Twitter that they were responding to a “critical incident” near the Molson Coors complex. The police chief, Alfonso Morales, said the gunman, a 51-year-old from Milwaukee, was dead and had appeared to have killed himself after the attack. He said the police were continuing to search the more than 20 buildings on the Molson Coors campus, where about 1,000 people work. Late into the evening on Wednesday, some workers remained stuck inside the complex waiting for the police to finish their search.
Local television stations showed police cars and officers with rifles descending on the area. As police officers with rifles stood near the site of the shooting on Wednesday evening, residents gathered in shock.
Neighborhood residents were gathered in shock. “I heard the sirens and came out to see what was going on,” said Shelly Zais, 59, who lives nearby. “I figured someone had to be killed, there were so many sirens. I knew it was different.”
“I heard the sirens and came out to see what was going on,” said Shelly Zais, 59, who lives at 34th and State Streets. “I figured someone had to be killed, there were so many sirens. I knew it was different.” State Senator La Tonya Johnson, a Democrat whose district includes the Molson Coors complex, said the facility was a point of pride in Milwaukee. The company, still known to many in the area by its former name, MillerCoors, continued to invest in the city and pay competitive wages even when some other employers left.
State Senator La Tonya Johnson, a Democrat whose district includes the shooting scene, said the Molson Coors complex was a point of pride in Milwaukee. The company, still called MillerCoors by many in the area, continued to invest in the city and pay competitive wages even when some other employers left. In October, Molson Coors announced that it was closing its Denver office and shifting some jobs to Milwaukee, as part of a corporate restructuring plan that was expected to result in the loss of 400 to 500 jobs across the company.
“The district has changed over the years, and so has the community surrounding MillerCoors — and they stayed,” Ms. Johnson said as she drove from the State Capitol to the shooting scene. “They’re committed.”“The district has changed over the years, and so has the community surrounding MillerCoors — and they stayed,” Ms. Johnson said as she drove from the State Capitol to the shooting scene. “They’re committed.”
Molson Coors said in a statement that there was “an active situation at our Milwaukee facility and we are working closely with the Milwaukee Police Department.” Chief Morales said Molson Coors executives were traveling to Milwaukee and were expected to provide more information late on Wednesday night.
“Our top priority is our employees and we’ll provide updates in conjunction with the police as we are able,” the company said. “Our top priority is our employees and we’ll provide updates in conjunction with the police as we are able,” the company said in a statement.
In recent decades, there has been a spate of mass shootings in U.S. workplaces.
Last February, a disgruntled employee who had been fired from his job returned to a suburban Chicago factory in Aurora, Ill., with a .40-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun with a laser sight, which the authorities said he used to kill five of his former co-workers. In 2010, a man caught stealing beer from a distribution warehouse in Manchester, Conn., shot and killed eight people and took his own life after offering his resignation. In 2003, an employee of the military contractor Lockheed Martin Corporation killed seven people at a company plant near Meridian, Miss., before turning a gun on himself.
Kiandre Ford, 27, who works in the lobby of the Harley-Davidson building nearby, said he got a phone call requesting that the building be locked down after the company alerted that there was an active shooter in the area.Kiandre Ford, 27, who works in the lobby of the Harley-Davidson building nearby, said he got a phone call requesting that the building be locked down after the company alerted that there was an active shooter in the area.
“We heard from higher-ups — I didn’t know what was going on myself,” Mr. Ford said. “I got a call, and the Harley-Davidson building is now on lockdown.”“We heard from higher-ups — I didn’t know what was going on myself,” Mr. Ford said. “I got a call, and the Harley-Davidson building is now on lockdown.”
An official at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives confirmed that there was an “active shooter” at the complex and said the agency was helping to respond from its Milwaukee office.
The complex is in the heart of Milwaukee’s Miller Valley, about three miles west of downtown, and includes a corporate office, a skywalk and a health and fitness center, according to Hunzinger Construction Company, which renovated the campus.The complex is in the heart of Milwaukee’s Miller Valley, about three miles west of downtown, and includes a corporate office, a skywalk and a health and fitness center, according to Hunzinger Construction Company, which renovated the campus.
In October, Molson Coors announced that it was closing its Denver office and shifting some jobs to Milwaukee, as part of a corporate restructuring plan that was expected to result in the loss of 400 to 500 jobs across the company. As officials gathered at the shooting scene, workers and their friends waited nervously to learn the names of the victims. Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who said he had made frequent visits to the complex over the years, was among those bracing for the news.
Julie Bosman reported from Milwaukee, Michael Levenson from New York and Mitch Smith from Chicago. Kay Nolan contributed reporting from Milwaukee and Sandra E. Garcia and Neil Vigdor from New York. “I’ve socialized with a lot of folks who work in those halls, I’ve spent time with them,” Mr. Barnes said, adding that he was “afraid to see whose lives were lost in this tragedy.”
Julie Bosman reported from Milwaukee, Mitch Smith from Chicago and Neil Vigdor from New York. Kay Nolan contributed reporting from Milwaukee. Sandra E. Garcia, Michael Levenson and Mariel Padilla contributed reporting from New York.