This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/26/us/milwaukee-shooting-miller-coors.html

The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
Gunman Kills 5 Co-Workers at Molson Coors in Milwaukee Gunman Kills 5 Co-Workers at Molson Coors in Milwaukee
(about 1 hour later)
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.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.
He killed five people, all fellow employees.He killed five people, all fellow employees.
“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.” “It’s frightening,” said Representative Gwen Moore, a Democrat whose district includes Milwaukee, and whose congressional office includes a Miller High Life sign. “It’s anathema to the kind of culture that we expect. This is heartbreaking because Milwaukee is a very friendly city.”
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. 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. Hours after the shooting, 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, some workers remained stuck inside the complex waiting for the police to finish their search and clear the workers to go home.
As police officers with rifles stood near the site of the shooting on Wednesday evening, residents gathered in shock. The midweek routine at the brewery was upended just after 2 p.m. local time when people began calling in to the Police Department with reports of gunfire. As officers from several departments raced to the area west of downtown, which is sometimes called the Miller Valley, schools went on lockdown and residents of the neighborhood’s faded Victorians and brick apartment buildings were told to stay away.
“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 nearby. “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. The shooting was the latest in a series of mass killings at American workplaces. Twelve months ago, at a suburban Chicago factory about 115 miles from the Milwaukee crime scene, a disgruntled employee who had been fired from his job killed five other workers. Last May in Virginia Beach, a municipal worker who quit his job went on a shooting rampage and killed 12 people.
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. “We shouldn’t accept this — this is not the way that things should be,” said Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, a Democrat, who noted that Wisconsin has been the site of several mass shootings in recent years. “We should never grow comfortable in the face of these repeated tragedies all across America.”
At a nearby Roman Catholic church where the American Red Cross was preparing to welcome people affected by the shooting, the Rev. Ivan Strmecki was struggling to decide what to tell parishioners at their Ash Wednesday Mass.
“What I have to say is so superficial,” Father Strmecki said as mental health professionals prepared to offer counseling in the church. “We’ll pray very hard for the victims and the families. We’ll pray for the souls of those who have died.”
State Senator La Tonya Johnson, a Democrat whose district includes the Molson Coors complex and its towering “Home of the High Life” sign, 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. For $10, visitors could tour the complex, including its famous beer caves, and sample its beverages.
In October, Molson Coors announced 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.”
Chief Morales said Molson Coors executives were traveling to Milwaukee and were expected to provide more information late on Wednesday night. Though many details of the shooting remained unknown, some local and national Democrats said it showed a need for stricter gun laws.
“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. “We shouldn’t have to live with this constant horror and grief,” Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, a presidential candidate, said on Twitter. “We need to act now to end the gun violence epidemic.”
In recent decades, there has been a spate of mass shootings in U.S. workplaces. Representative Mark Pocan of Wisconsin said “we cannot allow the plague of gun violence to take any more lives.”
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. President Trump also acknowledged the shooting and expressed his sympathies.
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. As local and federal investigators continued their work, Chief Morales said Molson Coors executives were traveling to Milwaukee and were expected to provide more information late on Wednesday night.
“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.” “There are no words to express the deep sadness many of us are feeling right now,” the company’s chief executive, Gavin Hattersley, said in a statement.
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. With snow flurries falling and officers in heavy coats and knit caps blocking traffic, workers and their friends waited nervously in the Wisconsin night to learn the names of the victims. Lieutenant Governor Barnes, who said he had made frequent visits to the complex over the years, was among those bracing for that news.
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. “I’ve socialized with a lot of folks who work in those halls, I’ve spent time with them,” he said, adding that he was “afraid to see whose lives were lost in this tragedy.”
“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. Reporting was contributed by Kay Nolan from Milwaukee, and Sandra E. Garcia, Michael Levenson and Mariel Padilla from New York.
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.