Electrician named as Milwaukee brewery gunman

Electrician named as Milwaukee brewery gunman

US authorities have identified the man who gunned down five co-workers before taking his own life as a 51-year-old electrician who had worked at the Milwaukee Molson Coors complex for 15 years.

Milwaukee police chief Alfonso Morales said the gunman was 51-year-old Anthony Ferrill.

He also identified the victims as Jesus Valle Jr, 33, of Milwaukee; Gennady Levshetz, 51, of Mequon; Trevor Wetselaar, 33, of Milwaukee; Dana Walk, 57, of Delafield; and Dale Hudson, 50, of Waukesha.

He could offer no motive, saying the shooting remains under investigation.

The shooting happened on Wednesday afternoon at Molson Coors’ massive brewery complex, which employs around 1,000 people.

Ferrill was a married father of two adult children and one younger daughter. Neighbours described him as a nice guy and helpful neighbour who enjoyed building guns, working on cars and playing with his dog.

Molson Coors Shooting
The Molson Coors facility in Milwaukee (Morry Gash/AP)

Ferrill was a licensed industrial journeyman electrician. The Journal Sentinel reported that he was a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in Milwaukee, and that he served in the US Coast Guard from 1987 to 1991 and was honorably discharged.

Police searched Ferrill’s home on Milwaukee’s north side as they hunted for clues about why he gunned down five co-workers before taking his own life.

The house, a one-storey home with a massive jungle-gym in the backyard, was roped off with crime scene tape on Thursday morning.

A police car sat in the driveway and a police van was parked at the curb. Investigators could be seen entering the house.

The 82-acre brewery complex includes a mix of corporate offices and brewing facilities

It is widely known in the Milwaukee area as “Miller Valley,” a reference to the Miller Brewing Company that is now part of Molson Coors.

A massive red Miller sign that towers over the complex is a well-known symbol in a city where beer and brewing are intertwined with local history.

The complex features a 160-year-old brewery, a packaging centre that fills thousands of cans and bottles every minute and a distribution centre the size of five football fields.

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