‘We were just running’: Witnesses recount shooting inside train station as security guard stops sex attack
By Hannah Hilyard
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MILWAUKEE (WISN) — Witnesses describe chaos inside the Milwaukee Intermodal Station Thursday morning as police said a security guard fired a single shot to stop a sexual assault.
Craig Coleman, a witness, said, “I ducked down!”
The incident unfolded around 6 a.m. inside the train and bus station near North 5th Street and St. Paul Avenue. Witnesses estimate 40 or so passengers were waiting in line for the early train to Chicago when they started to hear shouting and gunfire, which caused panic in the station.
“I was waiting in line for about five minutes or so when I could hear yelling, like a woman screaming,” commuter Meshach Padilla said.
Padilla told WISN 12 News he noticed a commotion near the restroom area, with security guards coming and going, and passengers growing anxious.
“I walk closer, and then that’s when I actually see a woman who leaves the restroom, like holding her back, in pain. And at this point, the screaming stopped,” Padilla said. “I see another one of the regular passengers trying to help her to get up, and that’s when I hear the gunshot. It was a loud pop, almost like a firework … We were just running.”
The sound of the gunshot sent passengers scrambling to safety.
“Everyone kind of started charging through the doors to where we would normally load onto the train,” said Nicholas Cordonnier, another commuter.
“I thought it was a mass shooting. I thought that there was a gunman loose in the intermodal station,” Padilla added.
Milwaukee police said security guards had discovered a man sexually assaulting a 33-year-old. Investigators said the attacker became combative a security guard fired one shot in an attempt to stop. No one was hit.
Padilla praised the security guards for their actions.
“Just a big shoutout to the Intermodal security guards. I mean, they really put their lives on the line for the passengers and for the people that were potentially being assaulted,” he said.
Police confirmed that the attacker, a 31-year-old man, was arrested and is in custody.
A security guard not involved in the incident told 12 News that guards at the station are not armed and that the guard who intervened used his own personal weapon. The private security firm has not responded to inquiries about the matter, and Milwaukee police declined to answer specific questions.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation owns the building. In a statement, the department said:
“WisDOT is aware of a security incident that occurred this morning at the Milwaukee Intermodal Station (MIS). The Milwaukee Police Department is investigating. As it’s an ongoing investigation, details of the incident will have to be released by the investigating agency.
“The MIS is owned by the state but it is operated and maintained by third-party contractors, including the facility’s security services. WisDOT does not play a role in the daily operation or maintenance of the facility.
“WisDOT is working to learn more about the incident. Our department has the utmost concern and care for the security and safety of any person using a public transportation facility. As we learn more about the incident, we will work with our contracting partners to take any necessary actions to maintain safe operation of the facility.”
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