BROOKFIELD, Wis. - A gunman opened fire Saturday at a church service being held at a hotel, killing seven people before taking his own life, authorities said.
Officers found four people and the gunman dead when they arrived about 1 p.m. at the Sheraton hotel. Three others died later at a hospital, said Daniel Tushaus, chief of the Brookfield Police Department.
?There is nobody else being sought at this time as a suspect,? he said.
The victims were all in the same room at the hotel, Tushaus said. The suspect, a man of about 45 who was armed with a handgun, was affiliated with the church, which had been meeting at the hotel every Saturday morning for four or five years.
Tushaus did not identify the victims but gave approximate ages. Two boys ages 15 and 17, a 72-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman died at the hotel. Three men ranging in age from 44 to 58 died later at a hospital.
Four other people were hospitalized in serious condition.
Guests in lock-down
Some hotel guests remained locked in their rooms after police surrounded the building and would not allow anyone to enter or leave.
Karen Suick, 48, said she arrived at the hotel Friday night with 15 players and parents for a hockey tournament.
?One of our hockey dad?s two daughters are still in there,? she said. ?They called his cell phone. They were OK, but they were told to go back to their room. So that?s what they did.?
After the shootings, police removed a pickup truck from the hotel parking lot.
Home searched
Officers also searched a two-story house in the neighboring community of New Berlin, but investigators refused to comment on whether the home was connected to the shootings.
New Berlin Mayor Telesfore Wysocki said police told him the gunman lived in that neighborhood with his mother and sister, who were being interviewed by officers as police collected evidence at the man?s house.
?We are in total shock and disbelief,? the mayor said.
Authorities said they would not release any more information about the shootings until a Sunday morning news conference.
Hotel hosted several groups
At least two church groups were holding meetings in the hotel at the time of the shootings, police said.
The shootings took place during a meeting of the Living Church of God, a group based in Charlotte, N.C.
The denomination, headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., believes that the Sabbath ? the day of worship ? is to be observed Saturday. According to its Web site it is active in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia with over 200 congregations.
?We don?t even know all that has gone on, but it?s devastating,? said Lara Prejean, a church member who lives in Monroe, N.C.
Brookfield is a western suburb of Milwaukee.
Discussion Zen 5 Speculation (EPYC Turin and Strix Point/Granite Ridge - Ryzen 9000)
Discussion Intel current and future Lakes & Rapids thread
