UW-Madison students involved in near-campus shootings

MADISON (WKOW) – A man died after a shootout early Sunday morning in the State Street parking ramp.

Police officers already in the Freakfest area heard the shots and responded quickly.

Police say there is no suspect at the moment as she tries to understand what happened.

UW-Madison students were informed of the shooting by email alerts, which only added to their discomfort.

Olivia Van Lanen lives in the Hub on the other side of the street and saw the swarm of officers.

"We just saw police officers walking on the top of the parking structure with their guns and we did not know what was going on," Van Lanen said.

Police found 21-year-old Steven Villegas hooked to life after being shot in the chest. He died Sunday afternoon in the hospital.

Cheif Mike Koval says that they do not believe this is a random act of violence.

Shortly after the arrival of the police, students received the notification to avoid the area, shocking Manuel Sanchez-Moyano, law student.

"It's a disadvantage, because every time you hear about it, you feel less safe," Moyano said. "The advantage is that I know that the university is kind of keeping students as informed as possible."

Although the police do not know for sure if Villegas was present at Freakfest, Chief Koval said that those who attend him could be of great help.

"If we believe Freakfest, everyone and their brothers released their camera last night," Koval said. "It would be hard to believe that with this influx of humanity, we no longer have people who could be contacted to ask for their impressions or what they saw or heard."

Villegas lived in West Madison and was not a student at UW-Madison.

For rookie Noa Okner, the alert they had has become very common.

"To be honest, it was scary, but it was not so shocking because it was not new," Okner said.

Officers are watching the security camera images, but Chief Koval also wants to hear from people with photos or videos of the area between Whiskey Jack's Bar and the midnight parking ramp at 2am.

Call Madison Area Crime Stoppers at (608) 266-6014.