As a group of worshipers was preparing for that morning's services, Wade Michael Page opened fire at this Sikh Temple (Gurdwara), killing six people. The victims included five men and one woman ranging in age from 39 to 84. Fortunately, most of the people planning on attending the services had not yet arrived when the shooting began.
Oak Creek police lieutenant Brian Murphy was the first officer on the scene and was ambushed by Page in the parking lot, suffering nine gunshot wounds from close range. Moments later, Page was wounded by another police officer before turning the gun on himself. Murphy survived his wounds after undergoing several hours of surgery.
Investigators have treated the incident as a hate crime. Page was an outspoken white supremacist and performed with a few neo-Nazi rock bands. He served in the US Army from 1992-98 before being given a less-than-honorable discharge. He moved to the nearby Milwaukee suburb of Cudahy weeks before the shooting.
This temple was built in 2007. It is one of two in the Milwaukee metro area that serves about 3,000 Sikhs who live in the region.
Sikh Temple shooting (August 5, 2012)
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