Racism 'Not A Factor' In Molson Coors Shooting: Milwaukee Police

MILWAUKEE, WI — Milwaukee police said Wednesday that neither race nor racial discrimination was a motive in the Molson Coors shooting that left five employees dead before the gunman took his own life. The statement came within 24 hours of the company confirming that the shooter, Anthony Ferrill, experienced a racial-harassment incident at work.

"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," the police statement read, in apparent reference to news articles pieces from the past week from various outlets in Milwaukee, including Patch, and across the U.S.

In the statement, Milwaukee police said a team of investigators interviewed several witnesses regarding Ferrill's actions during the afternoon of Feb. 26, in which he shot and killed five Molson Coors employees before taking his own life. "As a result of the preliminary investigation, neither race nor racism has been identified as a factor in the incident."

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Police divulged more information, saying their 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."

While Milwaukee police issued their refutation Wednesday afternoon, they did not give any new information on a possible motive.

Police in their statement said it's "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."

Ferrill Suffered Harassment, Molson Coors Says

On March 3, a corporate spokesperson for Molson Coors broke the silence regarding the shooting, detailing some of what Ferrill went through at the company prior to the shooting. The company's statement comes after two former co-workers spoke with the Journal Sentinel about Ferrill's work history and the harassment that happened at Molson Coors.

"We know there was an incident with a noose found on a locker in 2015," a Molson Coors spokesperson told Milwaukee Patch on Wednesday afternoon. "The employee was not working that day, our HR team notified him of the incident, it was investigated fully, no camera footage was available to show who placed it on the locker, we offered HR and security services to the employee, we talked to the brewery leadership team in Milwaukee about the issue and we ensured everyone knew about our confidential paths to share discrimination or harassment complaints. And while we have not, do not and will not tolerate any form of discrimination, and we will continue working to ensure we have the kind of open, welcoming environment our company believes deeply in."

Molson Coors also told Milwaukee Patch their company needs to get better at making their workplace more inclusive for everybody.

"But there's no two ways about it. We have more work to do. Fostering an inclusive and welcoming workplace is something every organization has to work towards each day, and we aren't going to shy away from our responsibility to take a deep look at our own culture," a company spokesperson told Milwaukee Patch on Wednesday.