A couple was fatally shot in an Elkhorn bar, police say. The community is 'devastated.'
Elkhorn police are investigating the deaths of a husband and wife who were fatally shot at a downtown Elkhorn sports bar just after midnight Thursday morning. Their deaths are being investigated as a homicide.
Walworth County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call at approximately 12:11 a.m. Thursday for reports of shots fired inside the Sports Page Barr, 29 1/2 S. Wisconsin St. Upon arrival, deputies found the bodies of a man and woman with fatal gunshot wounds.
The medical examiner's office identified victims as 33-year-old Emerson Weingart and 37-year-old Gina Weingart.
As of Friday morning, the Elkhorn Police Department said they could not provide information on whether or not a suspect was in custody.
Owner of the Sports Page Barr, Jordan Barr wrote in a statement on social media: "Our bartender, Gina, and her husband Emerson, both dear friends of ours, were taken from all of us this morning. The Sports Page Barr staff and regulars have always been more than a tight knit group, a family."
"Their lives were just beginning, and I believe I speak for our entire Sports Page family by saying we are absolutely devastated by what happened. It is a despicable act of violence that has shaken all of us to our core," Barr wrote.
Dozens of people expressed their shock and grief in the comments of Barr's post. Commenters called the Weingarts some of the nicest people they've ever known and praised Gina's pure and kind soul.
A GoFundMe has been organized by one of Gina's high school friends. Donations will go toward memorial services for the couple. You can donate here: gofundme.com/f/gina-and-emerson-weingart-memorial-fund.
"Gina and Emerson’s families deserve to mourn and celebrate their lives in peace and without worry of finances," wrote GoFundMe organizer Julianne Perkins. "Any funds donated will be given to Gina and Emerson’s families to help with funeral arrangement costs."
Other friends and family members took to Facebook to grieve and share memories of the couple.
"The fact I’m even having to type these words right now is absolutely devastating," friend of the couple Jessica Johnson wrote in a public Facebook post. "I’m heartbroken beyond words and things in our little town and little Sports Page family will never be the same. Gina and Emerson were two of the most genuine people I have ever known. The light in the room will always be darker missing the two of you."
Elizabeth Krause, owner of the business next door, Fastcuts, posted on Facebook that one of the bullets lodged in the wall of her hair salon. Krause was not at Fastcuts when the shooting occurred but said the incident shocked and disturbed her. She called Elkhorn an "idyllic," "all-American" community.
"Hearing about the poor couple that was straight-up murdered, this is awful," she said.
"That this horrific attack could happen right next door to where I own a business is really shocking. The entire community is very shocked about it. But I wouldn't say it's indicative of the community at all. We're all ... good, neighborly people."
Krause said she is a member of the National Rifle Association but hasn't felt the need to carry a firearm at work until this incident.
"I think it's really high time I open carry at work because I have no idea what could happen," she said. "Could it be a nighttime event? Could it be a daytime event? You just don't know. ... It's certainly a comforting feeling that I will be confidently armed, but I don't like that that's the way the world kind of makes me have to be."
Authorities are investigating the incident as a homicide and are asking anyone with information to call the Elkhorn Police Department at 262-723-2210, or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 262-723-2677, or electronically by using P3 Tips, at www.p3tips.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Elkhorn Wisconsin shooting leaves young couple dead, community reeling
