At least 10 people were injured in a shooting early Sunday morning at a rooftop party at a high-rise apartment building in downtown Madison near the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.
“It’s truly a miracle that no one was killed,” Madison Police Chief Shawn Barnes said Sunday morning. “As local residents, we’re heartbroken.”
Nine people suffered gunshot wounds and abrasions, and one was injured by broken glass, Burns said. Five were taken to local hospitals; others arrived at the hospital during the night seeking treatment.
None of the injuries were life-threatening. The victims ranged in age from 14 to 23, including some high school students.
“Students should have been enjoying their summer vacation, not undergoing treatment,” Burns said.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison said in a statement that no students were among those injured and that “it is unclear at this time whether this incident is related to the university.”
“There has never been a mass shooting on any scale that has come close to this with so many casualties,” said Councilman Mike Barbier, who has represented the downtown district on the Madison City Council since 1995.
“It was the biggest response I’ve ever seen in my life based on the number of emergency personnel from many agencies across the county who responded to help,” he said.
Madison police were initially dispatched to the Lux apartment complex on West Johnson Street, about two blocks from State Street, where a large rooftop party was taking place.
When police arrived, dispatchers reported shots had been fired. Police said dozens of people were screaming and running from the building. Barnes said officers found people hiding in a maintenance room “looking for safety.”
No arrests have been made. Police say they do not know the motive and have no suspect information, but Barnes said two weapons were found among the shell casings and “we will likely be looking for one or more people.”
Detectives from the Violent Crimes Unit are speaking with victims and witnesses and reviewing digital evidence. They are urging anyone with video of the incident to contact police. Anyone with information can contact Madison Area Crime Stoppers at 608-266-6014 or online at p3tips.com.
MPD called the case a “very active investigation” and plans to provide an update later Sunday.
Police are trying to determine whether the party was authorized by Lux management or not. Officers say there were hundreds of people on the roof. Barnes said no management from the apartment complex was at the scene but that they were cooperating with the investigation.
“You might be surprised to know that some (apartment) management companies aren’t even based in Wisconsin, and that’s where it gets tricky,” Burns said.
Verveer said he has heard of problems in the past with parties thrown by individuals who had no affiliation to the building.
“I am concerned that, especially in the wake of this tragedy, we need to encourage proper security in high-density student apartment buildings,” Barbier said.
Burns thanked local hospitals for their preparedness, saying their response was “smooth” in triage and treating victims. Police trained with the Madison Fire Department earlier this year for “exactly this type of incident,” but “we didn’t expect to see it in action so soon,” he said.
The shooting marks the second in Madison within 48 hours: A 27-year-old man was shot and killed on Williamson Street early Friday morning after an altercation at a bar.
“(Up until this weekend) we had seen a historic drop in calls of gunfire,” Barnes said. “As a community, we had just reported our fifth week with no calls of gunfire.”
Downtown Madison and the city as a whole “are pretty safe overall,” Barbier said, “so when something like this happens, it really shakes your conscience.”
