Five people were killed in a shooting at the MolsonCoors headquarters in Milwaukee on Wednesday, police said.
The Milwaukee Police Department responded to reports of a shooting in the area just after 2 p.m. local time and found the suspect, a 51-year-old Milwaukee man, dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Authorities also found five employees of the “old Miller brewery” killed in the attack, Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales said.
“It’s a terrible day for Milwaukeeans and I pass on my condolences to the families of the employees,” Morales said.
Identities of the victims would not be given until proper notifications were given to the families, Morales told reporters Wednesday. The chief didn’t give a motive for the shooting but did say no others were injured in the attack.
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Morales also thanked the local and federal authorities that initially responded to the scene of the shooting, including the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said his thoughts were with the six families who are grieving “because of this horrific act.”
“There were five individuals who went to work today, just like everybody goes to work, and they thought they were going to go to work, would finish their day and go home to their families,” Barrett said. “They didn’t and tragically never will.”
A number of schools and businesses in the surrounding area were on lockdown as authorities responded to the incident, according to NBC affiliate WTMJ.
MolsonCoors, which owns both the Coors and Miller beer brands, said it was aware of an active situation at its Milwaukee facility and was working with authorities.
“Our top priority is our employees and we’ll provide updates in conjunction with the police as we are able,” the company said on Twitter.
Molson fully acquired MillerCoors in 2016 and announced it would rebrand the company to Molson Coors Beverage Co. last year, according to a USA Today report from October. The shift was also part of a corporate restructure that moved hundreds of jobs from Denver to Milwaukee in a cost-cutting measure.
President Donald Trump opened his Wednesday press conference on the coronavirus with condolences for the victims of the shooting, calling the gunman a “wicked murderer.”
“Our hearts break for them and their loved ones,” Trump said. “We’ll be with them and it’s a terrible thing, a terrible thing.”
This is a developing story, please check back for updates.
