Suspect in Wisconsin casino shooting ID'd as recently fired employee
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A former employee at a hotel restaurant that's connected to the Oneida Casino in Green Bay, Wisconsin, has been identified as the shooter who killed two people and injured a third on Saturday, before he was shot dead by police.
Brown County Sheriff Todd Delain at a news conference Monday identified the shooter as Bruce K. Pofahl, 62, a former employee at the Duck Creek Kitchen and Bar in the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center.
Pofahl had been fired from his job earlier this year and the Oneida Nation told him he was forbidden from being on the Oneida Casino complex property, Delain said.
Investigators know Pofahl was familiar with at least some of the employees at the restaurant and they're working on determining a motive, Delain said, but stressed this wasn't a random act.
"We believe it was targeted, at least to some of those individuals," Delain said.
Before being killed by Green Bay police, Pofahl fatally shot restaurant employees Ian Simpson, 32, and Jacob Bartel, 35, and injured Daniel Mulligan, 28. Mulligan is in serious but stable condition at a Milwaukee hospital.
Police were called to the restaurant on a report of shots fired around 7:27 p.m. on Saturday, May 1, with Delain noting the entire thing took "10 minutes or less."
Delain said Pofahl entered the south side of the building near the banquet halls and walked into the Duck Creek Kitchen and Bar. He approached the server station at the back of the restaurant and then shot Simpson and Bartel at "close range" with a 9mm handgun.
Pofahl then left the restaurant and made his way outside to the north side of the complex, near the parking structure, where he shot Mulligan, who is also an employee at the restaurant.
Soon after, Green Bay police fatally shot Pofahl, Delain said.
At the time of the shooting, there were about 50 customers at the restaurant and several hundred other people, from wedding guests to casino-goers, in the "extremely large" Oneida Casino complex, Delain said.
Officials said 230 people at the complex were bused to a local elementary school, where they were spoken to about the incident. Delain noted there were more than 30 witnesses.
Approximately 75 law enforcement agencies responded to the casino complex.
Investigators are still collecting eyewitness statements and processing evidence. The Brown County Sheriff's Office is leading the investigation into the mass shooting, while the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation is handling the officer-involved shooting case.
Delain said they're still looking into Profahl's background but noted he did not have a lot of contact with police. They're also looking into whether he was in legal possession of the gun.
Meanwhile, the Oneida Casino complex remains closed on Monday. The Oneida Nation is compensating workers for their missed shifts and is offering counseling services for those who need it.
Meanwhile, Oneida Nation is holding a tobacco-burning ceremony at 9 a.m. Wednesday, May 5, as part of the healing process following the shooting. After the tobacco burning, the entire complex will be smudged.
