A 45-year old man, believed to be from New Berlin, is suspected of killing seven and wounding four others. The man then killed himself, police said. No other suspects are being sought in connection to these killings.
Five people were found dead at a hotel, including the gunman, and seven others were taken to Wauwatosa hospitals. Brookfield Police just held a press conference announcing that three others had died from their injuries. The ages of the victims were wide ranging. The dead include males, ages 15, 17, 44, 50, 58, and 72; one female age 55. The injured include a 10 year-old girl.
The crime scene was a Sheraton hotel just off Interstate 94 near Brookfield Square Mall. The shooting happened around 1pm and was during a regularly scheduled church meeting. The church is being reported as the Living Church of God, headquartered in Charlotte, NC.
As of 5:42pm, all of the dead bodies are still at the scene.
A handgun was used in the killings. No motive is known as of yet but the man was somehow affiliated with the church. Police have blocked off access around the suspect’s house. Neighbors are describing him as “quiet”. It is being reported that he lived with his mother and possibly sister. His father also lived with them but he passed away a few years ago.
The ATF, FBI and others are involved in the investigation. Many neighboring city police and fire departments were called in to help.
Local media with continuous updates are:
JS Online
Touch TMJ4
Blogs:
My View of the World
Badger Blog Alliance
Brookfield police will not release any new information until a press conference tomorrow at 10am CST. Touch TMJ4 is reporting that police are telling all people at the scene to limit the information given to the media.
Note: Living Church of God does not appear to be a radical church of any kind. It looks like the sabath recognized by the church is from “sunset Friday to sunset Saturday” which explains their Saturday meeting. The website is now getting a lot of server busy errors. Here is a local copy of their beliefs.
Eric Anderson at 5:56 pm
