Radcliffe Haughton: Gunman dead inside spa after shooting 7 people in Wisconsin

The gunman behind a terrifying shooting spree at a suburban Milwaukee spa and thought to have been targeting his estranged wife has been found dead.

Radcliffe Haughton, 45, was found dead after shooting an estimated seven people at a day spa in Brookfield, Wisconsin on Sunday afteoon.

Three people were confirmed dead and the four other victims are said to be in non-critical condition.

During the investigation, police found an improvised explosive device on the scene, prompting them to issue a call for extreme caution and keeping them out of the building.

Brookfield Police Chief Daniel Tushaus said at an evening news conference: 'It appears that he is deceased of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.'

He added: 'There is no other suspect that we are seeking.'

In an earlier statement to the press, Chief Tushaus said the shooting began at 11.09am Sunday moing inside the Azana Spa.

He was described as a bald ethnic man with darker skin, about 6 foot one inch tall and 270 pounds.

Haughton, of Brown Deer, is estranged from his wife, who works as a hair stylist at the salon where the shooting took place.

It is not yet clear whether the wife was one of the shooting victims.

Federal investigation: An FBI tactical team patrols outside the Brookfield Square mall in Brookfield, Wisconsin, after the shooting at the Azana Spa

Perimeter: Tactical team members move past a McDonald's on the way to spa next door where the shooting occurred

Haughton's two daughters - one of which was believed to have been at the salon at the time of the shooting - were found by police and are safe, according to Brown Deer police chief Steven Rinzel.

The Joual Sentinel contacted the suspect's father, Radcliffe Haughton Sr., who lives in Florida.

He said the he spoke to his son by phone last week shortly after his estranged wife had been awarded the restraining order against him.

'I told him, whatever you do, don't do anything stupid,' Mr Haughton Sr. said.

'He told me, "I have to get out of Wisconsin."

'I am so saddened. I don't know what to tell you. As his father, I am very, very sorry and I did not expect this from my son.

'So he hasn't been apprehended? Oh Lord. Have mercy, God.

A witness saw a woman screaming, and running out of the spa towards traffic.

'She ran right out into the street (and) was pounding on cars,' David Gosh told The Joual Sentinel.

On the scene: Multiple ambulances responded to the shooting Sunday afteoon

Unknowns: The shooting began at a spa near a Milwaukee mall

He then saw a man carrying a handgun run after her, and he was thought to be chasing after the woman.

The gunman then saw police beginning to gather and he ran back in the direction in which he came, and back into the spa.

'He was the shooter. He was looking for an escape route,' Mr Gosh said.

A witness told the Joual-Sentinel that a he saw a young girl running through a parking lot in a panic after her mother was reportedly shot.

'She was screaming, yelling, crying hysterical. She was pleading for help,' Christopher Pfeiffer told the local paper.

Guns drawn: Police patrol at the entrance to Brookfield Square Mall across from the scene of a shooting at Azana Salon and Spa

'She kept saying, "My mother was shot." And she mentioned that there was a gunman. She ran into the bookstore and I followed her. But I watched her from afar.'

Live video of the Azana spa shows a tactical team moving in around 2pm on Sunday.

According to the spa's website, it boasts that it is the largest salon and day spa in Brookfield with 9,000-square-feet.

The layout of the spa- which has ten treatment rooms, male and female locker rooms, and a cafe area-complicates issues for police as people may be hiding inside.

Preparing: Police said that they are conceed that there may be explosives on the scene and have since ordered the bomb squad as a result

Tactical units: Police and swat team respondents entered the Azana Spa during the investigation

The spa opened at 11am this moing and the shooting is thought to have begun shortly after.

The owner of the salon was out of the country at the time of the shooting and is reportedly headed back now.

This is the second mass shooting in the state in the past two months. An Army veteran opened fire at a Sikh temple in August, killing six people and injuring three others.

Local news reporters drew comparisons to an earlier incident in 2005, when a shooting took place at the nearby Sheraton hotel during a mass service.

In that  shooting, seven people were killed before the shooter tued the gun on himself.

Starting point: The shooting is thought to have began around 11am when Azana Spa opened