Six people were killed in a fire at the premises of a well-known US brewery based in Milwaukee, in the north of the country, including the perpetrator, local authorities said; local media reported that the massacre was committed by an employee of the company who had as soon as he is informed of his dismissal.
More than 1.000 people were at the Molson Coors factory and headquarters early in the afternoon when the 51-year-old gunman opened fire before apparently pointing a gun at himself, the Milwaukee police chief told a news conference. Alfonso Morales.
Five people, all employees of Molson Kurs, fell dead from his bullets, said in the same press conference the mayor of the largest city in the state of Wisconsin, Tom Barrett, who spoke of an "untold tragedy".
According to police, apart from the five people killed, there are no injuries.
Prior to the announcement of the report by local authorities, it had already been made public by US President Donald Trump, who earlier gave a press conference dedicated to his government's plan to tackle the coronavirus epidemic.
"A horrific killer opened fire inside the Molson Kours distillery, killing five people and seriously injuring others, some," the Republican said. "That's awesome. Awesome. "Our thoughts are with the people of Wisconsin and with the families of the victims," he said.
Local media reported that the perpetrator of the massacre had been fired earlier in the day by the distillery, which produces Coors and Miller beers, and was still wearing the company's work uniform.
"Our employees are our number one priority," said the management of Molson Kurs, which is currently undergoing a restructuring that would create 400 to 500 jobs. The distillery, which recently relocated its tax headquarters from Denver to Chicago, added that it was cooperating fully with the authorities in the investigation.
Milwaukee police said earlier on Twitter that a "serious incident" was taking place at the factory around 14pm local time (23:00 local time (Greek time)) and urged citizens to stay away from the factory, which locals call Miller distillery.
Dozens of ambulances and patrols and a strong force of heavily armed police rushed to the factory, recording footage broadcast by local television networks.
Many schools around the distillery have locked their doors, according to the protocol that is activated in cases of attacks using firearms.
"The nursery school was closed at 14:20. We didn't hear anything, but we saw two police cars from the window, "said Brie Townsend, a teacher at a school near the distillery in Agence France-Presse.
"We pray for the families who lost their loved ones," Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives, said on Twitter. "Congress's duty to them is to take real action to stop the use of firearms."
"Let us find the strength and the will to take action against violence through the use of firearms and never accept the unacceptable," said Pete Boutitz, a Democratic nominee for the post. of the party in the November 3 presidential election.
Legislation on American gun ownership and armaments is one of the issues on the agenda anyway, as massacres of this kind continue to recur in the United States.
Source: sigmalive