Six people, including the suspected shooter, were killed Wednesday in a mass shooting incident at the Molson Coors brewery complex in Milwaukee.
Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales said the suspect, a 51-year-old Milwaukee man, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Five additional adults were killed in the incident, Morales said. All of the victims were employees of Molson Coors. No other individuals were injured, Morales said.
"This is an active and fluid scene," Morales said at a Wednesday night press conference. "The investigation is also ongoing and active. There is no threat at this time. We will continue to investigate throughout the night."
Click here for more coverage of the Molson Coors shooting from WISN-TV Channel 12, a media partner of BizTimes Milwaukee.
The shooting occurred at Building #4 at the brewery complex, according to WISN-TV reports.
Wednesday afternoon police, including officers with the Milwaukee Police Department, Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department deputies, and agents from the ATF and FBI, responded to the scene at Molson Coors. The Milwaukee Fire Department also responded. In investigating the scene, police had to inspect and secure more than 20 buildings in the complex, Morales said.
Molson Coors leaders left the company's distributor conference in Houston Wednesday to come to Milwaukee after the mass shooting incident occurred.
“There are no words to express the deep sadness many of us are feeling right now,” Gavin Hattersley, chief executive officer of Molson Coors, said in a statement released by the company. “The most important thing is that we support and care for each other. We ask that everyone be respectful of how our colleagues in Milwaukee are feeling during this incredibly difficult time and do what you can to be supportive.”
The Molson Coors plant in Milwaukee will be closed for the rest of the week.
"This is an unspeakable tragedy for our city," Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said at the Wednesday night press conference with Morales. "Six families are grieving because of this horrific act. This is a time for us to think about those families. There were five individuals who went to work just like everybody goes to work. And they thought they were going to go to work, finish their day and return to their families. They didn't, and tragically they never will."
At the White House, President Donald Trump said he wanted to "extend my deepest condolences to the victims (of the mass shooting at the Molson Coors plant in Milwaukee). Our hearts break for them and their loved ones."
“The hearts of every Wisconsinite are heavy as we mourn those who lost their lives today in Milwaukee," said Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele in a statement. "These are men and women who came to work every day, proud to work for a hometown company like Molson Coors. I ask everyone to keep these men and women, their families, friends and everyone at Molson Coors in their thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”
At the press conference with Morales and Barrett, Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, a native Milwaukeean, called for action to prevent mass shootings.
"We shouldn't accept this," Barnes said. "We should never grow comfortable in the face of these repeated tragedies all across America. We have a duty to act. We have to be more responsible as a city, as a state, as a nation and stop these preventable tragedies from happening."
"The hearts of the people of Wisconsin go out to the folks that were needlessly murdered at Molson Coors this afternoon," Gov. Tony Evers said at the press conference. "It is a tragedy for Milwaukee, yes, but it is a tragedy for the entire state of Wisconsin."
WISN-TV reported that police were investigating a home at Potomac and Courtland avenues in Milwaukee. State Rep. Lakeshia Myers said on Twitter that the investigation of that home is related to the shooting at the Molson Coors complex.
In Milwaukee, Molson Coors has roughly 1,300 employees, 690 of which work in its breweries while the remainder have office job positions. Last year,
the company announced a consolidation plan that would bring "hundreds" of additional office jobs to its Milwaukee complex. In January, MillerCoors changed its name to Molson Coors Beverage Company as part of a restructuring of the company, which includes the consolidation plan.
