2 dead in shooting at Wisconsin grocery distribution warehouse; victims, suspect identified

OCONOMOWOC, Wis. — A worker at a supermarket distribution center near Milwaukee shot and killed two co-workers late Tuesday night and is believed to have died by suicide following a police chase and crash.

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Update 12:04 a.m. EDT March 18: The two men killed inside Roundy’s Distribution Center in Oconomowoc were Kevin Kloth, 50, of Germantown, and Kevin W. Schneider, 39, of West Allis, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

According to a union official, the two men had worked at the center for at least 20 years. Family members confirmed the men’s identities to the newspaper.

Kloth’s mother, Nancy Kloth, confirmed the death Wednesday night and said she was unaware of the details of the incident.

“The police have told us nothing,” she told the Journal Sentinel.

Police have identified the alleged shooter as Fraron Cornelius, 41, and said he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the newspaper reported.

Original report: Thomas Bennett, secretary-treasurer of General Teamsters Local Union No. 200, confirmed to The Associated Press that the shootings occurred overnight at different locations inside the Roundy’s Supermarkets Distribution Warehouse in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.

According to a news release, officers were first called to the warehouse at 10:32 p.m. Tuesday for a possible industrial accident and found two people dead at the scene, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

The suspect, identified only as a 41-year-old man from Wauwatosa, is believed to have killed himself following a police pursuit and crash, WISN reported.

However, the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed to the Journal Sentinel only that a fatal car crash on the city’s northwest side is “related to an incident in Oconomowoc.”

According to the AP, the suspect was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Meanwhile, a fire official confirmed to the Journal Sentinel that the Milwaukee Fire Department responded to the crash at 5:02 a.m. Wednesday and did not transport any victims from the scene.

Neither victim has been identified, but Bennett told the Journal Sentinel that the two victims had worked at the warehouse for at least 20 years.

“One of the things about that warehouse out there, it’s a big family, They’re all good people, they’re all hard workers,” Bennett told the newspaper. “It’s tragic … Not everybody (at the warehouse) knows everybody, but these individuals are known because they are long-term employees.”

The Roundy’s complex employs nearly 1,000 people, the Journal Sentinel reported.

Roundy’s is a subsidiary of Cincinnati-based Kroger that operates Pick ‘n Save and Metro Market stores in Wisconsin and Mariano’s grocery stores in northern Illinois, the AP reported.

The company issued the following statement Wednesday:

“We are deeply saddened by the incident that occurred last night at our Oconomowoc distribution center.

“The entire Roundy’s family offers our thoughts, prayers, and support to the families of our colleagues during this difficult time.

“We are cooperating with local law enforcement, who have secured our facility. Our distribution center will remain closed while the police investigation continues. We are providing counseling services to our associates.

“To protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation we are referring questions to the Oconomowoc Police Department.”

The Roundy’s shooting comes just over one year after an electrician at Molson Coors shot and killed five coworkers and then himself.

-- The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Cox Media Group