A New Berlin, Wis. man opened fire on a weekly church service at a Brookfield hotel Saturday afternoon, killing eight people-including himself-and wounding four others.
Terry Ratzmann, 44, entered the Sheraton Hotel and walked into the service from the back of the room. Ratzmann then fired his 9mm handgun 22 times into the congregation. Ratzmann stopped once to reload and left only four rounds in the handgun. Milwaukee police officials said the carnage lasted about one minute, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.
A motive has not been determined, but the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported Ratzmann was upset about a previous sermon, was having problems at his place of work and was also suffering from depression.
The mass murder was one of the worst in state history and the second fatal hotel shooting in less than a year. Two guests were killed at an Oak Creek, Wis. hotel in November.
Ratzmann regularly attended the Living Church of God gatherings and parishioners described him as a peculiar guy who was quiet, but not a murderer.
The Milwaukee Police Department searched Ratzmann's home, where he lived with his mother and sister, and found ammunition for the handgun used in the slaying, three computers with encrypted files and a .22-caliber rifle.
