UPDATE: Two Wauwatosa police officers have been shot in Wauwatosa during a shooting at the Radisson Hotel. One male suspect is now in custody.
Wauwatosa police say on Saturday, around 10:33 p.m. they responded to a shots fired call at the hotel. When they arrived, several witnesses and guests told them the shots came from the second floor. As officers were checking that floor, a suspect fired at them.
Two officers were hit, and they suffered non-life-threatening injuries; they are in the hospital in stable condition.
A male suspect was located and arrested, and no other guests were hurt. The suspect has not been identified.
The Radisson is located at 2303 N. Mayfair Road.
We, along with one other news reporter (Vince Vitrano), were first to tell readers last night shortly after the shooting occurred that two officers were shot. We obtained that information from a source. For hours, other media outlets in town had no information posted on the shooting at all.
Earlier, reporter Vince Vitrano said in a Facebook Live broadcast that his station also heard that “two police officers were shot here at the hotel.”
He said he was in the lobby for an event at the hotel and three or four officers were responding to the hotel with long guns and a sense of urgency. Vitrano was in the ballroom for the event next, and no one was asked to leave.
A woman wrote on Facebook, “On the 5th floor and was told to stay in our room. Glad everyone is okay. I did hear the shots.”
A half-hour later, security came in shouting and yelling, “everybody out, get out, get out.”
One person heard the words “active shooter, active shooter,” said Vitrano, adding that officers were searching for a second person.
On the scanner traffic, an officer said, “Our shooter is on the north side of the building, second floor.” The incident broke out around 11:15 p.m. on Saturday, November 6, 2021.
“If we move to that stairwell we’re directly across from him,” an officer said. “Step back even further. We have an eye on the room,” an officer responded, saying they wanted officers out of the crossfire. Scanner traffic indicated that a team of officers responded to the hotel.
“The southeast stairwell,” an officer indicated.
BREAKING: At an event at the Radisson in Tosa. Police enter hotel armed with long guns. Shortly after, security evacuated ball room. Tosa, West Allis Brookfield PD all on scene as well as Sheriff’s Office. Officer with gun pointed at hotel. Armored vehicle from Waukesha PD. pic.twitter.com/jrPZWVq1dG
— Vince Vitrano (@vincevitrano) November 7, 2021
Officers spoke about calling a woman’s room to make sure she was okay. “Shooter is on the north side,” the dispatcher said at another point. There is a room “where the bullet went through. Check on her as well. Her husband is also in the lobby,” an officer said at one point, while another said, “have her get down on the ground,” referring to another person.
Mutual aid was called in. Civilians were trying to come up the stairs at one point. Police were blocking off streets.
They were seeking the name and information for the occupant of a room on the second floor of the Radisson. At one point a person was trying to come out of a hotel room, and was “pretty scared,” but the handle was broken and there was a hole in it. Police were trying to “work him through it.”
Officers were clearing rooms at the hotel, per the scanner traffic. People who called 911 from the second floor were told to shelter in place.
