WATERTOWN, Wis. — A man charged with killing six people at a Waukesha, Wisconsin, neighborhood bar was charged Friday with five counts of first-degree intentional homicide.
Thirty-five-year-old Radcliffe Haughton has also been charged with one count of attempted homicide for shooting another man in the leg Thursday, Waukesha police said in a news release.
David Sanborn, executive director of the Wisconsin Department of Justice, said in a statement that Zina Haughton was also charged Friday with three counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety and one count of carrying a concealed weapon.
“Zina Haughton, Radcliffe’s wife, was an unacceptable risk to the safety of everyone else in the apartment and licensed carry weapon was required to protect themselves,” Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel said in a statement.
The shooting took place Thursday evening at Azana Salon & Spa. Four people died on the scene, and one died later at a hospital.
Friday’s criminal complaint said Radcliffe Haughton entered the Azana Salon & Spa through an unlocked front door and approached a group of women seated around a table.
He pulled out a handgun and pointed it at the ground, according to the complaint. He then shot four women and two men — some of whom were trying to save the victims — before trying to fire shots at others.
According to the complaint, Radcliffe Haughton said during an interview that he chose the bar and spa because he heard “six shots sounded like firecrackers.” He said he drove to the location and proceeded to shoot people on the floor, saying that his goal was to kill as many people as possible.
He told police that a man was the one he shot in the leg, but that the man “fucked up and ran and wasn’t able to do anything.”
The victims ranged in age from 40 to 52, according to authorities.
“You know, you go into a spa and expect to have a relaxing time and to get some skin care and to get some healing around the body and to be able to do all of that and you don’t expect it to be interrupted by just a bunch of gunfire,” Waukesha Police Chief Russell Jack said.
Since the shooting, Waukesha police have released the names of the victims: Erika Saxton, 44; Suzette Kwiatkowski, 46; Tamara O’Brien, 42; Jennifer Markovsky, 42; and Zina Haughton, 35.
Waukesha police said Friday that authorities have located a shotgun and a pistol, which were seized after the shooting. A gun and ammunition were also found in Radcliffe Haughton’s apartment.
Radcliffe Haughton’s parents were informed of his actions Thursday night.
In an interview Friday with The Washington Post, David Martinez, Zina Haughton’s brother, expressed his shock.
“I don’t believe he would do something like this,” Martinez said. “He was the perfect person.”
He added that a gun has been a part of the family for more than a century.
“It’s one of the things that’s given us family,” Martinez said. “And it has always protected us, really.”
Martinez has close ties to his extended family. His mother was married to Radcliffe’s mother, and their daughter-in-law is Martinez’s niece.
He and his niece had been spending a week at his parents’ apartment near Waukesha. His family often gathered at their home on the Fourth of July.
“I talked to them a lot during the week,” Martinez said. “It was a great week. They were trying to figure out what to do with the Fourth of July. They had no idea what was going to happen.”
Martinez said his family was separated when he was growing up because of his father’s military service. He said he was not aware of any mental illness in the household.
He called his brother “quiet” and “quiet, too quiet.”
Martinez said that Radcliffe Haughton had recently moved into an apartment with his wife, Zina, but Martinez said he “didn’t know too much” about the couple’s relationship.