Police say at least seven people, including a gunman, were killed in a shooting at a Sikh temple near Milwaukee Sunday.
Police were called to respond to the shooting at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in the suburb of Oak Creek on Sunday morning, when witnesses said several dozen people were gathering for a service.
Sunny Singh, 21, of Milwaukee, said a friend pulled into the temple’s parking lot, heard shots and saw two people fall down. The friend then saw the shooter reload his weapons and head to the temple’s entrance, Singh said.
Oak Creek Police Chief John Edwards said the shooting suspect ambushed and opened fire on an 20-year veteran officer who was attending to a victim at the scene. Another officer then shot and killed the suspect.
Greenfield Police Chief Bradley Wentlandt said the officer who was ambushed was shot multiple times and he is being treated in surgery, but is expected to recover.
Wentlandt said four people were found dead inside the temple, while three, including the suspected shooter, were found dead outside. Tactical units went through the temple, and authorities do not believe a second shooter was involved, Wentlandt said. All people have been cleared out of the temple.
Wentlandt described the scene as chaotic and fluid and urged the media not to broadcast photos or video showing tactical units, which could put officers in danger. Police responded to the shooting with a dozen ambulances and are treating it as a domestic terrorism incident.
Three other shooting victims, all men, were taken in critical condition to Froederdt Hospital in Milwaukee, the main trauma center for the area, Chief Medical Officer Lee Biblo said. He added that they were all being treated for bullet wounds: one to the chest, one to the extremities and the face and one to the neck.
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5 Responses
So was it a nut case, a personal grudge, someone who can’t tell the difference between SIkhs (who are on “our” side) and Muslims (who sometimes wear turbins as well, but are radically different), or a Hindu (who often don’t get along with Sikhs either)? In these cases this is very sad, but not a threat to us.
If it was a Muslim, then we should worry that they are looking for “new” front in their war against “non-believers”.
I’ld bet on one of the first group, meaning we shouldn’t worry.
And again, another argument for encouraging law abiding citizens to carry concealed weapons so the criminals with guns can be taken down before they can do so much damage.
It can very easily happen at one of our temples as well. We need Siyata Dishmaya
Of course, the NRA will circle their wagons to prohibit any rational proposal for new laws that might prevent another tragedy like this.
Moose613: It is unlikely that someone who is not intimidated by the prospect of being prosecuted for multiple counts of murder will be deterred by the threat of an additional prosecution for illegal possession of a weapon. What would prevent this, and the cure might be worse than the disease, would be in more law abiding citizens were armed so that the murderer would have to worry about getting killed on the spot (it’s already obvious that such persons aren’t concerned about prison, capital punishment, or being shot by police after have time to kill many people).
The irony is that every Sikh is a warrior, and carries a weapon for self-defense and defense of others. If this had happened in India the gunman wouldn’t have lasted long. It would be even better if the Sikhs updated their weaponry from 1700, but even a dagger is a reasonable weapon against a handgun, if you are close to the shooter; a gun’s advantage over a knife is distance, which doesn’t work so well in a room.
But to allay the fears of idiots like Moose613, Sikhs in the West carry tiny pen-knives with 3-inch blades, which are purely symbolic weapons, and no use in a fight.