Police: Gunman in Oak Creek Sikh Temple Shooting Acted Alone
Seven killed, four injured in shooting spree, including veteran Oak Creek police officer.
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A 40-year-old Army veteran acted alone in Sunday's shooting of six people at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak Creek, authorities said Monday.
The shooter was identified by police as Wade Michael Page who recently moved to Cudahy. Page was shot and killed by police at the scene.
"We have every reason to believe there was only one shooter ... though our investigation to that end continues," U.S. Attorney James Santelle said at a press conference Monday morning.
"Oak Creek is secure."
Oak Creek Police Chief John Edwards said a person of interest showed up on scene after the shooting. Someone told an officer the man looked suspicious. The person left before being questioned, Edwards said.
Multiple media outlets reported Monday afternoon the FBI found the man and he has been cleared.
Three bodies were found outside the temple at 7512 S. Howell Ave. and four were inside the building.
Authorities said five men and one woman were killed in the shootings, and the victims were between the ages of 41 and 84.
At a news conference at Froedtert Hospital Monday afternoon, doctors said three people, including the officer, remain in critical condition. A fourth person was released from the hospital Sunday.
Officials said they are pursuing several leads but don't know of a motive yet.
"We are 24 hours out ... we are actively continuing with this investigation," Santelle said. "Many things (we) will not be able to comment on."
- Hero cop: Ambushed officer refused aid to help others
- Sikh reaction: Religious leader is praying for gunman
- Wisconsin weeps: Victims part of a peaceful family
- Sikh community unites: 'We are in utter shock'
- Video: Images from outside the temple on day of the shooting
- Photo gallery: Oak Creek in the aftermath
Officials said they are investigating the incident as possible domestic terrorism — the use of violence for social or political reasons — and are looking into Page's background, including ties to white supremacy groups.
The FBI had no reason to believe he was planning or plotting an attack, special agent in charge Teresa Carlson said, nor did it know of threats against the Sikh Temple in Oak Creek.
Page did have previous contact with law enforcement, though Carlson did not get into specifics. Page served in the military from 1992 to 1998, was discharged and was ineligible for re-enlistment, according to Edwards.
SWAT team members searched Page's residence in Cudahy Sunday night but Carlson did not reveal what was found. Agencies worked through the night at the Sikh Temple, which is still an active crime scene.
Carlson said they hope they can open the Sikh Temple back up later this week.
The gun used in the incident was purchased legally and Page was not prohibited from having one, said Bernard Zapor, special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
The Oak Creek police officer shot Sunday was identified as 51-year-old Lt. Brian Murphy, a 21-year veteran of the force. Officials said he was shot eight or nine times at a "close range", and is in critical condition. Murphy was the leader of the police department's tactical unit.
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Edwards said Murphy was the first officer on scene and was "ambushed" when he left this vehicle to come to the aid of a shooting victim. When other officers arrived to help Murphy, he waved them off and told them to go into the temple. (See this Patch story for more on Murphy)
Twenty-seven agencies from Milwaukee County and the surrounding area were responded to Sunday's incident after the first 911 call came in at 10:25 a.m.
Edwards said officers had to secure the building before they could enter, which added to the time victims had to wait inside.
"That is how we have to operate. They are the first responders, they need to get in and assist the people in there. And we can't do that if we're hurt," Edwards said. "That must seem like an eternity to those people who were inside there. But rest assured, we weren't waiting for any other reason (other than) to make sure nobody else outside was going to be hurt and we could get them out as safely as possible."
After they cleared the temple, officers searched about a three-square mile area, knocked on doors and spoke with about 200 residents.
"We want them all to know that this was the only shooter and there's nothing more to worry about as far as this situation goes," Edwards said.
Oak Creek Mayor Steve Scaffidi said that heroic actions of officers prevented an even greater tragedy for a community that is still in shock.
"Sunday was a tragic day for our city, especially given that it occurred in a place of worship," Scaffidi said. "Oak Creek is a diverse, welcoming city. We host 23 places of worship, and the Sikh community is part of that."
Edwards said the department trains for active-shooter situations and the officers did exactly what is expected of them.
"In my mind, they're all heroes," he said. "I was asked today, what do you think of their actions. It didn't surprise me in the least."
Sikh members also praised the response of police during the news conference while expressing worry that more people like Page are out there.
"How many other people might there be like him that are a threat that we don't know about — that's the problem with these types of situations," Carlson said. "That's why we need the community's support because sometimes these people don't come to law enforcement's attention until it's too late. People do need to be vigilant and look for suspicious behavior and report them."
Later Monday, President Barack Obama issued a proclamation ordering flags to be flown at half-staff.
He also commented on the shootings, saying they occur with "too much regularity," according to a Journal Sentinel report.
Gov. Scott Walker was in Oak Creek today and met with law enforcement officers and first responders.
He tweeted that he also dropped by the Salvation Army to thank volunteers.
Laura Nankin
11:18 am on Monday, August 6, 2012
I'm guessing not many people realize all the religious hate there really is in our land of freedom. Ask anyone who belongs to a "minority" religion and they will tell you that taking extra security measures at their place of worship on major holidays or special events is standard procedure. Those days seem to especially draw out all the wackos. I know of very few synagogues that do not employ extra security for the Jewish High holidays, just for this reason. it is so very sad what has happened in our community. I continue to hope and pray for these families and their loved ones, and that these horrific tragedies will someday teach love and tolerance
Greg
12:20 pm on Monday, August 6, 2012
Please list the other instances of "wackos" that you refer to.
rfky845
2:45 pm on Monday, August 6, 2012
These kinds of whackos. The tin foil hat brigade. The scariest part is that a lot of these nuts are out there and are amassing weapons. Then you also have people like Michelle Bachman and sites like The Blaze and Fox Nation stirring these nut-job conspiracies with innuendo and outright lies. Then when sites like Snopes debunk them, they falsely claim George Soros to be behind the site. They simply refuse to listen to facts if it doesn't line up with what they want to hear.
http://educate-yourself.org/nwo/
Mary O'Neill
11:46 am on Monday, August 6, 2012
Very well put, Laura. This is a very big world we all live in - not as small & narrow as some would have it. Tolerance is the only way to live together in the 21st century, but not everyone has learned this yet. We must not let the ignorant have the tools for killing. We must develop the political will to stop those who are intolerant & kill rather than learn that our differences have been our strength when tolerance is practiced.
alt ideas needed
12:14 pm on Monday, August 6, 2012
prayer is a very passive act - it is time for loving kindness in your daily thoughts and actions.
Random Blog Commenter
1:23 pm on Monday, August 6, 2012
As we have now seen, the expression of hate and racism as violence is a far different thing than a disagreement about the public opinion of a guy who sells chicken sandwiches.
Let us reserve the words like hate, racist, etc. for something truly despicable and horrific and not toss them casually as a simplistic rhetorical tool within the parlor game of modern political debate.
Bren
2:09 pm on Monday, August 6, 2012
Eloquently stated, RBC!
Johnny Paycheck
3:35 pm on Monday, August 6, 2012
People have been killing each other since the beginning of time... And they're going to keep on killing each other.
Know it All
4:45 pm on Monday, August 6, 2012
This is nothing new. 7 people were killed in Brookfield 7 years ago at a church gathering. Its not the last time its going to happen either. It has nothing to do with race. Its just a moron who snapped and went on a killing rampage. Im not trying ot play this down, but really, how different s this than any other mass killing? What about the mass murder in of all places Norway last year?? There were 85 killed in that rampage! Mass murder has been around since man and isn't going anywhere fast.
Bren
5:28 pm on Monday, August 6, 2012
Why does it continue to happen? And how do we as a civilized country, identify the causal factors and work toward change?
Richard Head
6:43 pm on Monday, August 6, 2012
"And how do we as a civilized country, identify the causal factors and work toward change?"
Well, Obama uses terror drones to murder people of all colors Worldwide - the latest killings were in Yemen and Somalia. Often civilians are killed, innocent men, women and children - these are called "acceptable losses."
" After some 8,000 bombing raids, with estimates of 4 bombs used per attack, NATO has already dropped over 30,000 bombs on Libya. That’s almost 200 bombs per day for 6 months, some tens of thousands of tons of high explosives. With an estimated 2 Libyans killed per bomb and without a single NATO casualty, the Western regimes have massacred over 60,000 Libyans "
http://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2011/09/03/30000-bombs-over-libya/
"The director of the National Security Agency under Ronald Reagan – Lt. General William Odom - noted:
Because the United States itself has a long record of supporting terrorists and using terrorist tactics, the slogans of today’s war on terrorism merely makes the United States look hypocritical to the rest of the world."
"The CIA admits that it hired Iranians in the 1950′s to pose as Communists and stage bombings in Iran in order to turn the country against its democratically-elected prime minister."
http://www.zerohedge.com/contributed/2012-08-06/america-world%E2%80%99s-largest-sponsor-terrorism
Your hands are as bloody as Obama's
James R Hoffa
6:49 pm on Monday, August 6, 2012
@Bren -
I'm sure if you tried hard enough, you could probably find a way to link comments made by Rush Limbaugh to every major gun related tragedy over the last three decades!
sis
8:31 pm on Monday, August 6, 2012
Obama's adminstration knew about this guy and did nothing....thank Obama for these deaths, he could have prevented them
Taoist Crocodile
8:49 pm on Monday, August 6, 2012
Seriously, "sis" - in a day full of dumb comments, that might be the dumbest.
GearHead
8:57 pm on Monday, August 6, 2012
Not true Tao... Consistantly dumbest coments would be a toss-up between you and Bren!
Any votes out there, Patchers?
Taoist Crocodile
9:43 pm on Monday, August 6, 2012
Oh good, Gearhead - I was afraid that we'd heard the last of you. On the other hand, I'm disappointed to learn that there are more gun-crazy white supremacists in our midst than I previously believed.
James R Hoffa
9:57 pm on Monday, August 6, 2012
@Taoist -
Did you just infer that GearHead was a "gun-crazy white supremacist?"
What in the hell is the matter with you?
Yes sir, you're definitely a real piece of work alright!
Taoist Crocodile
8:39 am on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Speaking of which, has anyone seen a post from "Johnny Blade" recently? That guy fits the profile for sure.
Bren
10:53 am on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
I'll nominate GearHead as a runner up for most "content free" poster.
James R Hoffa
11:07 am on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
@Taoist -
You're just on a roll with your hate attacks, aren't you? It's a good way to honor the memory of the unjustly fallen - spreading the hate, isn't it?
Again, what in the hell is the matter with you?
mmlgreendale
8:34 pm on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
This comment seems to say that the FBI should arrest everyone they have every tracked because they have been interested in white supremacy group? That's a bit unrealistic. This guy didn't have a police record, was not dishonorably discharged, could have been anyone's brother as far as we knew. He just sent Grandma flowers. Not that I support him but do you really think Obama should have done something about this guy? Really? That is very unrealistic.
BRIAN B
8:52 pm on Monday, August 6, 2012
I find it VERY HARD to believe he acted on his own!! Soooooo much hatred in this world!!!! Definetley A "Fallen World" not the world God intended us to live in
Carrie
9:02 am on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
If you saw how many officers, dogs and vehicles there were searching the woods and subdivision to the SE of the temple Sunday night, well after they said there was only one shooter, you'd definitely wonder if they are covering up something...
sis
10:07 pm on Monday, August 6, 2012
http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-investigators-kept-tabs-alleged-sikh-temple-shooter-20120806,0,2390104.story
Federal investigators and the Obama administration knew about this monster, they deserve the blame for the killings.
Dirk Gutzmiller
8:23 am on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
sis - Sadly, many Democrats also take NRA contributions.
Will Joseph
11:55 pm on Monday, August 6, 2012
Q: What's the difference between this Wade Michael Page loser and your typical Tea Party member?
A: Yeah, I know. I couldn't think of a difference, either ...
James R Hoffa
11:04 am on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Way to perpetuate the hate Will!
Dirk and Taoist are upset at you for making the supposedly tolerant left look bad on this board!
Johnny Blade
11:18 am on Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Q. Whats the difference between Will Joseph and a Karl Marx useful Idiot
A: Yeah, I know. I couldn't think of a difference, either ...
Matt Johnson
7:02 am on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Will, WTF? Are you that big of a moron or just need some attention? Mommy ain't giving you any?
mmlgreendale
8:39 pm on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
No I think Will might be right but the Tea Party folks may not like a different race.
Dirk Gutzmiller
8:19 am on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
If there is anything at all amusing but also scary is how someone like Will Joseph makes a comment, and his point is then actually reinforced by some crude and vulgar Tea Party member's barroom talk, like Matt Johnson's.
Chilling...even more so since the bloodbath Sunday.
oak creek resident
9:39 am on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Wow, Dirk you just lost any bit of relevance with a comment like that.
ConcealCarry
9:57 am on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
You certainly are a panty waist, Dirk. It's okay little fella, we conceal carry types will protect your 98 pound weakling frame from the bad guys.
Satori
10:26 am on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Had to change your handle Alfred? To many embarrassing posts in your past?
Will Joseph
4:24 pm on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Yes, yes, yes. "Conceal And Carry" will solve ALL of these problems.
After all, it worked well at the Gabby Giffords / Tucson massacre. And it worked at the Aurora, Colorado, movie theater massacre. AND it worked at the Sikh temple massacre. And ...
Oh, wait, that's right. No, it DIDN'T work.
(Special salute to Dirk for "getting it." Which, apparently, is BEYOND the rest of these cousin-loving, stump-jumper posters ...)
Dirk Gutzmiller
10:57 am on Wednesday, August 8, 2012
oak creek resident and ConcealCarry (Alfred) help us understand the mentality of the ultra-right-wing underground. They really do not know how to defend themselves, except with phallic guns and hate.
Even more chilling.
Steve ®
8:42 am on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
If you're going to shoot up a bunch of people at least do us a favor and pick a good target. These Sikh's are the last people that you need to terrorize.
Taoist Crocodile
9:14 am on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Pray tell, Steve, who would be a good target? If you were going to "shoot up a bunch of people," who would it be? Inquiring minds and law enforcement want to know.
Bren
10:50 am on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Hey Steve the "job creator." I would fascinated to sit in on one of your staff meetings.
; )
Dirk Gutzmiller
11:06 am on Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Bren - Steve's business could be something like a private security firm, e.g., Blackwater, or a contractor for the Mafia, or a high-volume gun shop, so his comment might be considered business appropriate.
Steve ®
1:03 pm on Wednesday, August 8, 2012
It's sad you all feel the Sikh's are a good target.
Bren
1:20 pm on Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Don't pout, Steve the Job Creator. Who would you suggest is a "good target?" People who don't agree with you? Late employees?
Dirk, I'll confess to being very curious about what type of business Steve the Job Creator has.
Greg in OC
9:09 am on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
I'm so sick of every event being turned into a political war. Can't you leave the rhetoric out of a tragedy like this?
Karen
10:08 am on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Can you people stop and re-read your posts? Seriously how is this any good? You are using words as weapons against eachother. Stop fueling the fires!
Sarah W.
10:34 am on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
@ Karen. Agreed...@everyone else ...You all sound so insensitive. What happened today and days before that are all a tragedy. This world today is beginning to disgust me!
Will Joseph
4:38 pm on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
http://www.theonion.com/articles/michele-bachmann-thankful-no-americans-died-in-sik,29071/
True. So true.
mmlgreendale
8:43 pm on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
lol typical bachmann comment!
robert heule
7:40 pm on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
House Speaker John Boehner should reprimand Michelle Bachmann. Remove her from all committees. The MN. GOP should remove her from the ballot if that is legally possible
Johnny Blade
11:15 am on Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Yahoo just reported the gunman killed himself with a gunshot to the head .. Hmmm interesting .. Who is lying .. Witness said 4 men in black starting killing people .. witness in Colorado said more than one gunman
“The beauty of the second amendment is that it will not be needed until they try to take it.” -Thomas Jefferson
Milwaukeesucks
11:27 pm on Wednesday, August 8, 2012
I noticed that the "person of interest" had a 9/11 tattoo on his arm just like the shooter. He has been cleared by the FBI but one has to wonder what this dork white guy was doing filming the staging area of this event? Since he has been cleared I'd say he is a Homeland Security agent and the FBI now has egg on it's face for exposing a fellow agent! Note to dorky White Fed Agents: cover up your 9/11 tattoos!