RACINE — Racine police said five people are injured and a suspect is dead following a shooting early Sunday morning.
The incident happened around 1:52 a.m. in the area of Seventh Street and Park Avenue. When officers responded, they found an armed man.
Police chased the man and when they confronted him, officials say he turned the gun on himself. Officials attempted to negotiate with the man for several minutes before he inevitably shot himself.
Three victims were found in the area and taken to the hospital, and two others showed up at hospitals in other cities.
Police said the victims were four men and one woman. None of their injuries appear life-threatening.
Racine police said in an update on Monday that all the victims are in stable condition and are recovering.
Co-owner of 509 Social Lounge Billy Smith is still in disbelief at what unfolded at his bar in the early of hours of Sunday morning.
"We were closed, and people were exiting and that's when I heard the shots," Smith said. "I saw the suspect come in and he had a large caliber handgun and I let him know you can't come in here."
Smith said the gunman was filming himself on Facebook live at the time of the incident.
"He said he wasn't going to jail. The police were going to have to kill him, or he was going to kill himself," Smith said.
Sunday afternoon, Smith was back at the bar cleaning things up. His main message to everyone, put the guns down.
"Safety is the main objective. Everybody should have a good time and go home safe," Smith stated.
Smith also added that he's heard from the woman who was shot, and she thanked him for stepping up and helping her.
As of right now, Smith said his security team is focusing on what changes if any need to be made to ensure safety for all guests.
Racine police said they are still investigating the incident, and they are asking any with information or anyone who witnessed the shooting to call the investigations unit at 262-635-7756.
