An armed man opened fire on a Wisconsin software company on Wednesday, injuring four people and sending panicked office workers in search of safety.

Mike Davis, Middleton City Administrator, said the alleged gunman was also injured. The conditions of the wounded were not immediately released.

A phalanx of police vehicles and ambulances descended on the offices of WTS Paradigm around 10 am local time, while reports said an active shooter. The Dane County Sheriff's deputies and FBI agents and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives joined the local police on the scene.

"Please lock all the doors, stay indoors and stay there until further notice," tweeted the Middleton Police. The building was placed in a lockdown which was then lifted.

According to the radio traffic of the police, there were at least two agents involved in this shooting. Another officer reported by radio that she was following an ambulance to the hospital "with the suspect".

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Dozens of officers converged on the building, which houses companies such as WTS Paradigm and Esker. and at least one other company. Judy Lahmers, a business analyst at WTS Paradigm, said she was working at her office when she heard gunshots. She said that she fled the building and hid behind a car while the glass door of the structure shattered.

"I do not look back, I run as fast as possible. You're just wondering, "Are you hiding or running?", She said.

She said that she knew that a colleague had been shot but she was fine. She called the shot "totally unexpected. We are all software specialists. We have a good group.

Gabe Geib, a lawyer at Esker Software, said that he was working at his office when he heard a few shots coming from the door next door, which "sounded like claps." .

"We knew at that time that something was happening. A ton of people were crossing the street in front of us, "he said.

School officials in the nearby town of Madison sent e-mails to their parents telling them that the police "contained the situation in Middleton, and again, there is no threat to our schools."

The officers at the scene asked the State Criminal Investigation Department to respond to the scene. The agents also advised shippers that the citizens of the area should be "sheltered locally" until the law enforcement agencies give them a clear opinion.

Middleton is a suburb of Madison with about 17,000 inhabitants.

Contributor: Associated Press

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