MILWAUKEE, WI — The five Molson Coors employees killed in the Wednesday shooting at the company’s Milwaukee headquarters have been identified. Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales also identified the shooter who was a current employee at Molson Coors but said the motive remained under investigation.
The victims of Wednesday’s shooting are:
Trevor Wetselaar, 33, of Milwaukee
Westelaar was an engine room operator, a position that he started at MillerCoors in June 2018. Prior to his position there, he served in the U.S. Navy as a Nuclear Reactor Operator for six years, where he operated a nuclear reactor on board a U.S. Navy submarine during examinations and equipment testing, according to his LinkedIn page.
Dana Walk, 57, of Delafield
The family of Walk had a friend set up a Go Fund Me page to raise money for his funeral. “Today, my best friend and her family lost their dear father. Dana Walk was shot and killed in the MKE Coors shooting. Join me in raising money for my best friend Melanie and her family. We love you guys, and we will be walking with the Walks through this,” organizer Kayleigh Burnitz wrote.
Dale Hudson, 50, of Waukesha
Hudson had been an electrician at MillerCoors for the last 11 years, according to his LinkedIn page.
Gene Levshetz, 51, of Mequon
According to an obituary posted online, Gennady “Gene” Levshetz “will be remembered as the best husband, dad, and dede. He was a kind, caring, and giving person who always put his family’s needs before his own.”
Funeral services for Levshetz will be held, Sunday, Mar. 1 at 1 p.m. at Cong. Shalom, 7630 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Fox Point. Interment to follow at Md. Zion Cemetery, 14510 W. North Ave. in Brookfield.
Jesus Valle, 33, of Milwaukee
Wisconsin Patch is continuing to track down information on Valle. We will update this story as we learn more.
Police identified the shooter was identified as 51-year-old Anthony Ferrill. On Thursday afternoon, The Journal Sentinel reported that Ferrill, an electrician who worked there for about 17 years. “He was a very good electrician, a very good worker and I couldn’t say anything bad about the guy,” Phillip Rauch Sr., in the report.
Milwaukee police are continuing to investigate Ferrill’s motive for the shooting. As of Thursday afternoon, Morales said they did not have any new information to make public. “Reasons for this is still under investigation as to what transpired, and we don’t have that for you,” he said during the Thursday afternoon press conference.
Flags across Wisconsin have been ordered to be flown at half-staff, and nearly 1,000 Molson Coors employees have been told to stay home following Wednesday’s shooting.
“We’re at the scene of another American tragedy … another senseless American tragedy,” Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes said Wednesday night. “It’s in our backyard, and I hate to say this. This is the 11th mass shooting in our state since 2004.”
Milwaukee police are continuing their investigation into who the shooter was and why he opened fire on the Molson Coors campus just after 2 p.m. Wednesday before taking his life. Police said they would release more information about the shooter in the next 24 to 28 hours.
Ridge Community Church said it would hold a prayer vigil Thursday night for the victims and their families.
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“There are no words to express the deep sadness many of us are feeling right now,” Gavin Hattersley, president and CEO of Molson Coors, said in an email to his employees Wednesday night. “I am on my way to Milwaukee now because in the hours and days ahead, the most important thing is that we support and care for each other.”
Hattersley and other top company executives had been at a company conference in Houston, Texas, that day when they learned of the shooting. They then took an emergency flight back to Milwaukee. Hattersley spoke to the media that night.
He said the campus will be shut down for the rest of the week — and the brewery for the time being — so friends, families and co-workers could heal.
Shooter Reported
Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales said his officers were called to the headquarters, in the 4100 block of State Street, just after 2 p.m. on a report of a shooting. When they arrived, they found the body of Ferrill lying on the ground with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Morales said.
Several minutes later, company officials sent out an email to all employees saying there was an active shooter in Factory Building No. 4.
Messages crackled over Milwaukee police and fire department emergency scanner channels.
“Respond 3939 W. Highland Blvd. Active shooter. Report of one person shot at Miller Coors, 3939 W. Highland Blvd.,” a dispatcher said.
Within five minutes, first responders were on the scene, and the following message came over the scanner:
“I have a police officer who just informed me that the shooter just committed suicide, and that they have, he believes, six victims besides the shooter. We’re getting extra med rigs and we’re pulling up.”
Early reports flooded in about the nature of the shooting. Some speculated at least eight people were dead, with injuries. Even President Donald Trump — who gave remarks prior to a Wednesday news conference regarding the new coronavirus — extended his sympathies over the unfolding tragedy, saying that “four, or five” people had been killed. “I’d like to extend my deepest condolences to the victims and families in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Earlier today a wicked murderer opened fire at a Molson Coors Brewing Company plant, taking the lives of four, five people, a number of people have been wounded,” he said.
Surrounding businesses and schools were placed on lockdown as police responded to the scene. Marquette University police responded to the shooting with Milwaukee police but added that there was no active threat to the campus and no buildings were on lockdown.
Harley-Davidson’s headquarters were also locked down earlier Wednesday as a precaution. The Highway 175 exit to State/Vliet Street from Highway 175 North was also closed in the afternoon as a result of the shooting.
Police conducted a person-by-person and building-by-building search of the campus as part of their investigation.
Later Wednesday, Morales held a press conference, breaking the tragic news that five Molson Coors employees had been shot and killed by the gunman.
“This is a tragic day for our city, this is a tragic day for our state,” Mayor Tom Barrett said at a news conference Wednesday night. “Six families will be grieving because of this horrific act by this individual. 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.”
This is a developing story, please check back in for updates.