US shooting suspect found dead
October 22, 2012
Brookfield Police Chief Dan Tushaus said the body of the suspect, identified as Radcliffe Haughton, 45, was found inside the spa with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
"We believe we have three deceased," Tushaus said at a news conference as he summed up the day's events before the discovery of the suspect's body. "The investigation is fluid and ongoing. We have a number of scenes being worked on as we speak, not only the salon but the suspect's residence in Brown Deer."
The shooting took place on Sunday morning at Azana Salon & Spa in Brookfield, Wisconsin.
Police said they believe the violence was related to a domestic dispute. According to the Wisconsin court system, a temporary restraining order related to domestic abuse was issued against the suspect on October 8. Ten days later, an injunction was issue prohibiting the suspect from possessing a firearm.
The spa is a two-story, 9,000-square-foot building across from a major shopping mall in Brookfield, a middle-to-upper class community west of Milwaukee.
Second shooting in past few days
It was the second mass shooting at a beauty spa in the United States over the space of a week. On Thursday, a gunman opened fire at a salon near Orlando, Florida, killing three women and wounding another before committing suicide.
In addition to the shooting, police in Wisconsin on Sunday said they found what appeared to be an improvised explosive devise, which led to the nearby shopping centre being closed.
Hours after the incident, armed SWAT teams and tactical units continued to comb the area, and the shopping mall remained cordoned off.
Governor responds
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker issued a statement calling Sunday's attack as another example of the "senseless acts of violence" that occur across the country.
"Our state will stand with the victims and their families," he said.
tm/lw (Reuters, AP)