At least 10 people were injured in a shooting early Sunday morning at a party on the roof of a high-rise apartment building in downtown Madison, near the University of Wisconsin campus- Madison.
“It’s truly a miracle that no one died,” Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said Sunday morning. “As a community, our hearts ache.”
Nine suffered gunshot wounds or abrasions, and another was injured by broken glass, Barnes said. Five were transferred to local hospitals. Others arrived at the hospital overnight to seek medical attention.
None of the injuries are considered life-threatening. The victims were aged 14 to 23 and some were high school students.
“These students should have been celebrating their summer break and not receiving medical care,” Barnes said.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison said no students were among the injured and there was “no known university affiliation to the incident at this time.”
Madison police were initially called to a large party on the roof of the Lux, an apartment building on West Johnson Street, about two blocks from State Street.
When police arrived, dispatchers told them shots had been fired. Police said dozens of people were screaming and running out of the building. Officers found a few hiding in a maintenance closet “trying to get to safety,” Barnes said.
Police are working to determine whether or not the party was sanctioned by Lux management. Police said several hundred people were on the roof.
No arrests have been made. Police said they did not know the motive and did not have information to share about potential suspects, but Barnes said they were “probably going to look for more than one person” because the shell casings indicated two weapons . MPD called the incident a “very active investigation” and will provide updates later Sunday.
Violent Crimes Unit detectives speak with victims and witnesses and review digital evidence. They are asking anyone with video of the incident to contact the department. Anyone with information can also contact Madison Area Crime Stoppers at 608-266-6014 or online at p3tips.com.
Barnes thanked local hospitals for their preparation and said their response was “seamless” in triaging and treating victims. He said police trained with the Madison Fire Department for this “exact type of incident” earlier this year, but “we didn’t expect to put it into practice this soon.”
This is Madison’s second shooting in 48 hours. A 27-year-old man was shot and killed on Williamson Street early Friday morning after an altercation at a bar.
“Prior to (this) weekend, we had seen a historic drop in the number of shots fired calls,” Barnes said. “As a community, we had just reported our fifth week without any reports of gunfire. »