Police Identify Gunman, 5 Men Killed In Molson Coors Brewery Shooting In Milwaukee
MILWAUKEE (CBS) -- Milwaukee Police on Thursday identified the five people killed in a shooting at the Molson Coors brewery, as well as the gunman.
Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales said the victims – all men – had been identified as Jesus Valle, 33, of Milwaukee; Gennady Levshetz, 61, of Mequon; Trevor Wetselaar, 33, of Milwaukee; Dana Walk, 57, of Delafield; and Dale Hudson, 50, of Waukesha.
Molson Coors President and Chief Executive Officer Gavin Hattersley said the victims were powerhouse operators, machinists, and electricians at the brewery, but also husbands, fathers, and friends.
"They're part of the fabric of our company and our community, and we will miss them terribly," Hattersley said.
"It's really hard to understand and imagine what they are going through at the moment, the loss they have incurred, and what they're feeling at the moment," he said.
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett urged the city to come together on behalf of the victims' families.
"They've gone through something that no one ever wants to go through – a sudden, tragic, unexpected, unbelievable loss of life," Barrett said. "It's really difficult to put into words how all of us feel right now, because it is not something we ever expect to see happen in this community or anywhere else."
Meanwhile, the gunman was identified as Anthony Ferrill, 51, of Milwaukee, Morales said. He was an employee of Molson Coors at the time of the shooting, Morales said – contrary to earlier reports that the gunman had been fired the same day and came back with a gun.
Morales said officers arrived at the plant 2:08 p.m. for a call of a shooting. They found the gunman dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and then the five victims, Morales said.
Sources told CBS 2 that at the time of the shooting, the plant – better known locally as the Miller brewery – was in the middle of a shift change. The plant was placed on lockdown and everyone was told to find a safe place to hide – and some were inside and hiding well into the evening.
As CBS 2's Jeremy Ross reported, investigators visited Ferril's home in Milwaukee on Thursday. He was a longtime electrician at Molson Coors, and Wisconsin court records show he has no prior criminal history.
But sources close to the investigation say Ferrill did have a history at Molson Coors with at least one coworker.
Sources said there were past quarrels between the two, and it is possible that history played a role in escalating into workplace gunfire and killing that man and the other four victims – before Ferrill took his own life.
"He was such a good father, working long hours - he did everything he could for his kids," Erna Roenspies, who lived next door to Ferrill, told CBS 58 in Milwaukee.
Indeed, neighbors of the accused gunman described him as anything but a mass killer.
"He'd give you the shirt off his back. That's the kind of person - anything you'd want, he'd have helped you," Roenspies said.
A source close to the investigation said a .45-caliber handgun was recovered at the scene. Police will look into the history of the firearm as part of their ongoing investigation.
As to Ferrill's background, it isn't the typical profile for a mass shooter – and investigators late Thursday were taking a harder look into what triggered the violence.