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At least seven people were killed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, including a gunman, during a shooting at the Molson Coors campus.

USA TODAY

MILWAUKEE – In one of the worst shootings in Wisconsin history, six people were killed during a shooting rampage on the Milwaukee campus of Molson Coors on Wednesday afternoon, according to multiple sources who spoke to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The gunman also was killed, bringing the total of known dead so far to seven. It’s unclear whether more may have been injured or killed.

“There are multiple people who have died, I believe including the shooter,” Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett told reporters in a short briefing before 5 p.m.

Barrett said the situation is “fluid” but that law enforcement had “pinpointed a building” of interest and were performing a sweep of the building.

“The vile and heinous deadly violence that was perpetrated at the brewery complex today has no place in our society and makes no sense,” Ald. Russell Stamper said in a statement.

“The cold disregard for human lives and the lack of value for human life that was shown must be categorically denounced across Milwaukee, across Wisconsin and throughout our nation.”

Employees were notified by email that an active shooter was in or near the second-floor stairwell of the sprawling factory’s Building 4. Police responded at 2:11 p.m.

Milwaukee police said in a Tweet at 4:37 p.m. that there was “no active threat.”

Update regarding the critical incident that occurred on the 4100 block of West State Street. There is no active threat; however, this scene is still an active.

— Milwaukee Police (@MilwaukeePolice) February 26, 2020

The scene was chaotic two hours after the initial report. Live video showed an officer in body armor getting an assault rifle out of a car. Canines were on the scene. Helicopters hovered near the sprawling complex, which includes corporate offices and brewing facilities.

Molson Coors Beverage Co. was formerly known as MillerCoors, before a 2019 name change. It is part of a beer-brewing empire that is one of the largest in the world.

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James Boyles spoke with the Journal Sentinel. He said his wife, Lasonya Ragdales, works at Molson Coors in the claims department. She has been told that there is an active shooter and she is locked in a room with co-workers. She was texting him from inside the building.

Paramedic units from Milwaukee and West Allis were dispatched to the scene along with officers from the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office, Marquette University Police Department and the U.S. Marshals. Officials with the FBI and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were also on the scene.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett arrived on the scene at 3:30 p.m.

Multiple nearby schools were locked down.

Nearby Marquette University shared a statement on Twitter saying that there was no threat to the campus.

At Woodlands School Andre Kimbrough said his son was still inside the building. Kimbrough said he, along with many other parents, went to pick up their children at the end of school around 3:15 p.m. but got a call from school officials about the lockdown. Many parents were circling the block waiting for an all-clear.

Kimbrough said he could see a “stream of police cars,” ambulances and fire trucks. He felt good that the kids were safe inside.

“I’m more worried about how they feel,” Kimbrough said. “They must be kind of freaking out.”

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Molson Coors Beverage Co., which operates MillerCoors, on Oct. 30 announced plans to close a Denver office and relocate hundreds of corporate support jobs to the Milwaukee office, 3939 W. Highland Blvd. 

The brewer now has 610 jobs at the Milwaukee office. Corporate functions based there include human resources, financing and information technology. Also, the main brewery on West State Street and a smaller, recently expanded brewery together have 750 jobs.

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The “Miller Valley” campus includes a 160-year-old brewery, underground caves, a Bavarian-style inn and a seasonal outdoor beer garden.

The restructuring announced last fall is designed to cut costs, with 400 to 500 jobs being eliminated throughout Molson Coors. The consolidation also will bring together employees in central locations so they can better work together.

Molson Coors has seen continuing sales declines as it faces steadily increasing competition from craft brewers, as well as other makers of alcoholic drinks. Its recent name change, from Molson Coors Brewing Co., reflects increased investment in cider, seltzer and other alcoholic drinks.

Other mass shootings in Wisconsin

In the last 20 years, Wisconsin has been the scene of six mass murders.

The worst was in 2005, when seven people were killed and four wounded at a Living Church of God service at the Sheraton Hotel in Brookfield. The shooter, a 44-year-old computer technician, then killed himself.

A year earlier, a Hmong immigrant and naturalized citizen killed six people while deer hunting in northern Wisconsin.

In 2007, two mass shootings happened just months apart. In June, five people were killed in Delavan when a man shot his twin sons, his wife, her sister, a friend, and then himself. In October, six were killed when a Forest County Sheriff’s Deputy went on a rampage at his ex-girlfriend’s apartment.

Two mass shootings also happened in 2012. In August, six were killed at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak Creek by a shooter who committed suicide. And in October, three were killed at Azana Salon & Spa in Brookfield.

Joe Taschler, Tom Daykin, Jordyn Noennig, Ricardo Torres, Sarah Hauer, John Steppe and Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel staff. Grace Hauck and Joel Shannon reported for USA TODAY. 

MPD is investigating a critical incident in the 4000 block of W. State Street. Please stay clear of the area at this time.

— Milwaukee Police (@MilwaukeePolice) February 26, 2020

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