In a gruesome act, 8 people were injured at a suburban mall during a mass shooting incident on Friday. The shooting incident took place at Mayfair mall, outside the northwest entrance to Macy’s, in the city of Wauwatosa near Milwaukee in Wisconsin. As per reports, a probe has been initiated into the matter and attempts are underway to nab the accused.
While speaking about the incident, Wauwatosa Police Chief Barry Weber stated, “Preliminary statements from witnesses indicate that the shooter is a white male in his 20s or 30s. Investigators are working on determining the identity of that suspect…Seven injured adults and one injured teenager were transported to the hospital by Wauwatosa Fire Department. The extent of their injuries is unknown at this time. Everybody was alive at that time, though, so there have not been any fatalities that I’m aware of,” he said. He added that the accused had fled the crime scene by the time cops arrived.
Police officials, equipped with tactical gear, barged into the mall to rescue those, who remained hostage inside the mall. According to Wauwatosa Mayor Dennis McBride, none of the victims had suffered critical injuries. He added that a total of 75 cops were deployed at the mall, a week prior to the shooting ahead of the holiday season.
During the shooting attack in Milwaukee, one teenager and 7 adults were injured. When the gunman opened fire within the premises of the mall, customers and workers ran to safety or remained hidden in the building. As the news spread, the family members and friends of those, who were at the mall during the incident, flocked to the parking lot of the mall. Reportedly, the Froedtert Hospital and Children’s Wisconsin was informed about the mass shooting and the trauma teams of the hospitals were on standby to receive the injured victims in the attack.
Reactions to the shooting incident in Milwaukee
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers shared sympathies with the customers and workers, injured in the barbaric act. He tweeted, “Our hearts go out to those who were injured in the shooting at Mayfair Mall today. Kathy and I are thinking of them and their families and wish them a full and speedy recovery…We are also thinking about all the customers and workers affected by this act of violence and are grateful for the first responders who helped get people to safety. As we learn more, we offer our support for the entire Wauwatosa community as they grapple with this tragedy.”
We are also thinking about all the customers and workers affected by this act of violence and are grateful for the first responders who helped get people to safety. As we learn more, we offer our support for the entire Wauwatosa community as they grapple with this tragedy.
— Governor Tony Evers (@GovEvers) November 21, 2020
In a Facebook post, Mayfair Mall stated that it was temporarily closing its services in light of the mass shooting incident. “We are disheartened and angered that our guests and tenants were subject to this violent incident today. We are thankful for our partners at the Wauwatosa Police Department and we are cooperating with them as their investigation develops. Mayfair is closed at this time,” it wrote.
As per 24-year-old eye witness Austin Seybold, employees rounded up the customers, locked the front gate and escorted the customers out through the back door. Seybold recounted that a dozen customers and six employees remained locked in the backroom for over 2 hours until they were escorted to safety.
“It was a little frantic at first, but we managed to get everyone into the back without any hassle and everyone has remained fairly calm which is good, although we can hear what sounds like SWAT teams in the back passageways of the mall and the gravity of the situation is beginning to set in”, he narrated.
