Wisconsin police arrest boy, 15, accused of mall shooting
An altercation had occurred between two groups, but four bystanders got caught up in the shooting.
A 15-year-old boy was arrested Saturday after being accused of firing shots that injured eight people outside of a Milwaukee-area mall on Friday.
The name of the boy, identified only as a Hispanic male, has not been released.
“We do know there was some sort of altercation, and that’s when the bullets started flying,” Wauwatosa Police Chief Barry Weber said in a press conference Sunday.
An altercation apparently occurred between two large groups, but four people deemed innocent bystanders were injured by bullets.
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Wauwatosa Police initially said the shooter was a white male, but as they gathered more leads and surveillance footage, the description changed.
The shooting began around 3 p.m. inside a Macy’s store on Friday. The Mayfair Mall was closed that day and through Saturday, but it reopened on Sunday morning.
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The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is reporting that a rally in support of outgoing President Donald Trump took place at the mall Saturday while it was closed, and many of his supporters were openly carrying guns.
“That rally, as I understand it, was planned a week ahead of time. I think it was unfortunate they decided to come with what happened the day before,” said Mayor Dennis McBride.
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“I don’t think people should come to political rallies with guns,” he said. “I respect the First Amendment rights of everybody for political rallies and protests. If it were up to me, I would have said, ‘Please do not come. Do not bring guns. Honor the fact that our community is suffering right now.'”
The mayor also made a point of encouraging people to not be afraid of the mall, which he said was “a safe place.”
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Police have also said several other people reportedly involved in the shooting have also been arrested.
Most of the victims have been released from the hospital and are recovering at home.
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