WAUWATOSA, Wis. (NewsNation Now) — The Wauwatosa Police Department announced Sunday the arrest of a 15-year-old male in connection with the shooting at a Wisconsin mall that left seven adults and a teenager injured.
Wauwatosa Police Barry Chief Weber said in a statement a firearm was recovered at the scene of the teen’s arrest. Weber said he didn’t release photos because the investigation is ongoing.
The chief offered few details about the arrest but said it was made after the 15-year-old left the mall after Friday’s shooting. A Wauwatosa Police Department spokeswoman said he was arrested Saturday night following the execution of search warrants.
The mall, located in suburban Milwaukee, remained closed Saturday after investigators remained there overnight.
Chief Weber said the extent of the eight victims’ injuries was unknown, but all were alive. He added that the shooter was “no longer at the scene” when authorities arrived at Mayfair Mall. Officials said Friday evening that the shooting was not random but was the result of an altercation.
Wauwatosa Police said the dispatchers received the first 911 calls reporting the shooting at the mall near the entrance to Macy’s around 2:50 p.m. Friday. At least 75 officers initially responded to the scene. The FBI and the Milwaukee Field office of the ATF responded to the incident as well.
The Mayfair Mall was the site of a February shooting in which a city police officer, Joseph Mensah, shot and killed Alvin Cole, a Black 17-year-old. Police said Cole was fleeing from police; Mensah, who is also Black, said he shot Cole because Cole pointed a gun at him. The mall was the target of sporadic protests over several months in the wake of the shooting.
The Milwaukee County district attorney declined to file charges against Mensah, but the city this week agreed to a separation agreement in which Mensah will be paid at least $130,00 to leave the force.
