GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – Green Bay police are investigating a burglary at a gun store overnight.
Police say they responded to a burglary alarm at Nelson Tactical, 1317 Velp Avenue, at 3:35 a.m.
A shattered window was found by officers arriving on scene on the west side of the business. They also found a firearm from the store lying in the street. Officers believe this is where the suspect vehicle was parked.
According to witnesses, the suspects left the store with firearms and headed south on Thrush Street and turned west onto Mather Street at a high rate of speed.
“There was a witness or two that saw some individuals believed to be responsible, they described them as three male blacks,” said Green Bay Police Chief Andrew Smith. “They didn’t have an exact age, nothing else remarkable about them except that they are 3 male African-Americans.”
Police say it appears at least 5 guns were stolen: 1 shotgun; 3 long guns, two of which police described as “assault-type weapons;” and one .22-caliber rifle. The .22-caliber rifle was the gun found lying in the street.
Meantime, there was a window broken at Gus’s Gun Shop on E. Mason Street. The manager says that nothing was stolen.
Smith says they’re looking into possible connections between the two incidents.
“Right now we’re not sure but it sure seems likely that two places, both gun stores being broken into on the same night, there’s probably a likelihood that they’re connected,” Smith said.
This type of crime is one the department finds troublesome.
“The reason being is people that steal firearms aren’t generally firearm enthusiasts, collectors or sportsmen,” Smith explains. “They’re individuals who want to steal these guns to sell them on the black market or to use them for whatever purposes they have, whether it’s furthering their drug dealing or gang membership or whatever.”
Smith highlights the recent attacks on police officers nationally in Dallas and Baton Rouge.
“To know that there’s some weapons out there in the hands of obviously felons is disturbing for all of our guys,” says Smith.
Anyone with information about this incident should contact the Green Bay Police Department at (920) 448-3208, or Crime Stoppers at (920) 432-STOP.
