A gunman opened fire at Mayfair mall in Wauwatosa Friday afternoon, wounding seven adults and one teenager, officials said.
Witnesses described the shooter as a white male in his 20s or 30s, Wauwatosa Police Chief Barry Weber said at a news conference just before 6 p.m. Investigators are working to determine the shooter’s identity.
“When emergency personnel arrived, the shooter was no longer at the scene,” Weber said.
Asked if the shooter was still in the mall, the chief replied: “We don’t know that.”
“The extent of their injuries is unknown at this time,” Weber said of the victims. “Everybody was alive at that time, though, so there’s not been any fatalities that I’m aware of.”
A hospital spokeswoman said Froedtert Hospital and Children’s Wisconsin were notified of a shooting at Mayfair mall shortly after 3 p.m. and both hospitals’ trauma teams were prepared to receive patients.
The shooting occurred about 2:50 p.m. at the northwest mall entrance, near Macy’s. Hours later, officers continued to clear the mall and had designated the At Home Store, 3201 North Mayfair Road, as a reunification area for those who had been inside the mall.
Witnesses inside the mall reported hearing multiple gunshots about 3 p.m. that sent people fleeing for the exits or to other locations where they could safely shelter in place. Reporters at the scene and news helicopters captured video of at least four people being loaded into ambulances in the parking lot.
More than 40 police vehicles and 100 officers and agents from local and federal law enforcement — some in tactical gear and holding shields — could be seen outside the mall Friday evening.
“We ask members of the public to remain away from the area, and be patient so that our law enforcement personnel may secure the scene and investigate,” Weber said.
Later Friday, mall representatives released a statement thanking Wauwatosa police and confirming the mall was closed.
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Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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