Radcliffe Haughton was a former U.S. Marine residing in Brown Deer, Wisconsin. He was estranged from his wife, Zina Haughton, who had recently obtained a restraining order against him due to a history of domestic violence, including an incident where he slashed her car tires. Despite the restraining order, which prohibited him from possessing firearms, Haughton acquired a .40-caliber handgun through a private sale arranged online.

On the morning of October 21, 2012, Radcliffe Haughton drove to the Azana Spa, located across the street from a major mall in Brookfield, Wisconsin, where his estranged wife Zina worked. Armed with a .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun, he entered the spa shortly after 11 a.m. and opened fire. The shooting resulted in the deaths of three women, including Zina Haughton, and injuries to four other women. Chaos unfolded as people inside the spa scrambled for safety and hid in rooms or fled the building.

Emergency responders and police arrived quickly and began evacuating the area, locking down nearby businesses, including the mall. After an intense search, authorities found Haughton dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside the spa. The scene was tragic and traumatic, with law enforcement confirming it as an act of domestic violence that escalated into a mass shooting.

The shooting drew national attention and led to renewed discussions about domestic abuse, gun control, and the loopholes in firearm background checks. The case also highlighted how restraining orders are not always enough to protect victims of intimate partner violence. Radcliffe Haughton’s actions left three innocent people dead and several others scarred—physically and emotionally—forever. He ended his own life before he could be brought to justice.