The assailant who attacked the
“There were five individuals who went to work today, 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,”
Authorities offered no immediate motive for the attack and did not release details about the shooter or how the shooting unfolded.
None of the victims was identified. Police, who were still contacting relatives, said identities would not be released for at least 24 hours. No one was wounded beyond those who were killed, authorities said.
Officers worked for hours to clear the more than 20 buildings in the complex where more than 1,000 people work. They announced at a late evening news conference that the work was done and all employees had been allowed to go home. Police Chief
President
“Our hearts break for them and their loved ones,” the president said. "We send our condolences. We’ll be with them, and it’s a terrible thing, a terrible thing.”
The attack occurred at a sprawling complex that includes a mix of corporate offices and brewing facilities. The complex is widely known in the
“Unfortunately, I am devastated to share that we lost five other members of our family in this tragic incident,” he said in an email sent to employees. “There are no words to express the deep sadness many of us are feeling right now.”
He said the office would be closed the rest of the week and the brewery shuttered “for the time being” to give people time to cope.
A group of brewery employees gathered at a nearby bar to talk about what had happened.
“We are all a family. We work a lot of hours together, so we’re all very sad,” said
“It’s just weird, because nine times out of 10 you’re going to know the shooter," said another employee
Milner was also on his way to work when the shooting happened, and he was turned away too.
“Miller Valley” features a 160-year-old brewery, with a packaging center that fills thousands of cans and bottles every minute and a distribution center the size of five football fields. A massive red Miller sign towers over the complex and is a well-known symbol in
The facility is also home to corporate customer service, finance, human resources and engineering departments. Tours take people to underground caves where beer was once stored, a saloon with intricate woodwork, a stein hall with stained-glass windows, a champagne room meeting hall with leaded-glass windows, and an outdoor beer garden that can hold 300 people.
Before Wednesday's shooting, there had been three mass killings nationwide in 2020, with 12 total victims. All have been shootings. In 2019, there were 44 mass killings, with 224 total victims. The Associated Press/
The last mass shooting in the
Shortly before word of the brewery shooting broke, Republican Senate Majority Leader
Evers called lawmakers into special session late last year to consider expanding background checks and allowing guns to be taken from people deemed a threat. But the Republican-controlled Legislature adjourned without action. Fitzgerald later called the shootings “an act of evil,” the
At a news conference outside
This story has been updated to correct the name of the company to
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