It was a scene all too familiar for many people in the Brookfield Community.
On Sunday, October 21, 2012, Radcliffe Haughton opened fire at the Azana Salon and Spa, 200 North Moorland Road, in the city of Brookfield.
Haughton killed three women and injured four others before turning the gun on himself.
“We had three squad cars on site within one minute of being notified,” Steve Ponto, Mayor of the Brookfield, said. “It’s difficult to predict something like this was going to happen, but you have to be ready for it. Our Police and Fire Departments were prepared and dealt with the incident with a lot of skill and professionalism.”
Brookfield Police Chief Dan Tushaus is still completing paperwork on the incident. He credits the Brookfield response teams as well as the Wisconsin State Patrol, Waukesha County Sheriff, Milwaukee County Sheriff and Racine County Sheriff departments who assisted and responded to the incident. Neighboring communities including Chenequa, Delafield, Hartland, Butler, Pewaukee, New Berlin, Elm Grove, Menomonee Falls, Wauwatosa, Waukesha, West Allis, Muskego, Milwaukee and Brown Deer also lent assistance that morning. Similarly, Brookfield Fire Chief Charlie Myers received assistance from many of those neighboring community Fire operations as well as Sussex, North Shore, Lisbon, and Hales Corners.
The incident was the second mass shooting the Brookfield community has faced. In 2005, a gunman opened fire at a church service being held at the Sheraton Hotel in Brookfield, just a half a mile from the Azana Spa.
Members of the Brookfield Police department completed a special S.W.A.T. Training in New Mexico just weeks before this incident occurred, Ponto said.
Many of those officers were on scene.
“The Brookfield community should take pride and comfort in the fact that appropriate services responded so well in this emergency,” Ponto said. “It’s very reassuring and really shows the importance of continuous training.”
The outpouring of support from leadership in communities who had experienced similar incidents was moving for Ponto.
“They reached out to see if there is anything they could do, but mostly offered support, condolences and reassurance that our community will come together,” Ponto said. “It’s very comforting to know you have that kind of support.”
Ponto received calls and emails from leadership in Oak Creek, who just weeks before dealt with their own mass shooting incident. He also received emails from leadership in Tuscon, Arizona where congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot, Aurora, Colo., where the recent movie theater shooting occurred and other places around the country, he said.
“Brookfield is a wonderful community,” Ponto said. “It’s difficult for any community to go through an incident like this, but one of the positive aspects is that we have first rate police and fire departments to respond to these kinds of incidents. The outpouring of support and community so far has been incredible; I know it will continue as we we move toward recovery.”
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