Milwaukee police: Race, racism not a factor in Molson Coors shooting

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- It's been one week since the shooting at Molson Coors in Milwaukee, that left six people dead including the shooter. Some blame the tragedy on alleged discrimination at the company, but Milwaukee police said so far, neither race or racism are a factor. 

Wednesday, Mar. 4, the Milwaukee Police Department released the following statement on the shooting: 

"The Milwaukee Police Department is aware of various claims regarding the motive of the suspect involved in the recent Molson Coors shooting incident on February 26, 2020. Various sources have reported that the suspect’s actions were racially motivated and that he was directly impacted by racism while working for the company.

Milwaukee Police detectives have interviewed several witnesses regarding the suspect’s actions and statements leading up to the incident. As a result of the preliminary investigation, neither race nor racism has been identified as a factor in this incident. This investigation remains ongoing.

Based upon the preliminary investigation, the Milwaukee Police Department is not aware of any of the victims targeted in the mass shooting being involved in any inappropriate or racist behavior toward the suspect. Therefore, the narrative of retaliation being the suspect’s motive has not been substantiated.

Additional information regarding this incident will be available once the investigation concludes. Until then, it is imperative to wait for the facts of the investigation to be released rather than speculating and generating a false narrative that could negatively impact the lives of the family members of the victims and of the suspect, as well as the employees of Molson Coors.

We continue to send our prayers to all of the families involved in this tragic incident as they grieve their loved ones."