Police: 8 injured in Wisconsin mall shooting; suspect sought
WAUWATOSA,
Wis. (AP) — Police searched Friday evening for the suspect in a
shooting at a suburban Milwaukee mall that left seven adults and a
teenager injured.
Wauwatosa Police Chief Barry Weber gave no
motive for the attack at the Mayfair Mall in a brief update about three
hours after the 2:50 p.m. incident near an entrance to the Macy’s store.
He said the extent of the eight victims’ injuries was unknown, but all
were alive. He added that the shooter was “no longer at the scene” when
authorities arrived.
“Preliminary statements from witnesses
indicate that the shooter is a white male in his 20s or 30s,” Weber told
reporters. “Investigators are working on determining the identity of
that suspect.”
The chief called the mall an active crime scene and
asked people to continue to stay away. He said the mall would remain
closed until further notice.
Witnesses told WISN-TV that they had
heard what they believed to be eight to 12 gunshots. Some people
remained in the mall while police searched for a suspect. The station
interviewed several people outside the mall who said they had friends
sheltered inside stores while the search was ongoing.
Jill Wooley was inside Macy’s with her 79-year-old mother when they heard eight to 12 gunshots just outside the store entrance.
“We
heard the first shot fired and knew immediately it was a gunshot,”
Wooley told CBS58 in Milwaukee. “We both just dropped to the floor.”
Wooley
said she didn’t see anyone but the shots were “very close.” She added
that they ran in the opposite direction to the basement of the store,
where they then hid.
Trish Cox’s 19-year-old nephew works at
Finish Line sporting goods store. She said she was worried because the
store’s phone wasn’t being answered and was frantic as she waited while
FBI agents cleared the mall.
An agent who wouldn’t give his name
said the mall was being “methodically” cleared. Heavily armed FBI
personnel were visible at the mall.
Mall operator Brookfield
Properties said in a statement they were “disheartened and angered that
our guests and tenants were subject to this violent incident today.”
They declined further comment.
The Mayfair Mall was the site of a
February shooting in which a city police officer, Joseph Mensah, shot
and killed Alvin Cole, a Black 17-year-old. Police said Cole was fleeing
from police; Mensah, who is also Black, said he shot Cole because Cole
pointed a gun at him. The mall was the target of sporadic protests over
several months in the wake of the shooting.
The Milwaukee County district attorney declined to file charges against Mensah, but the city this week agreed to a separation agreement in which Mensah will be paid at least $130,000 to leave the force.
Associated Press writers Scott Bauer in Madison and Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis and freelance journalist Rich Rovito contributed to this report.