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Sunday, August 5, 2012
Wisconsin Shooting: 7 People Killed At Sikh Temple, Including Shooter (UPDATES)
Wisconsin Shooting: 7 People Killed At Sikh Temple, Including Shooter (UPDATES)
OAK CREEK, Wis., Aug 5 (Reuters) - A gunman killed six people and critically wounded three at a Sikh temple during Sunday services before police shot him dead in an attack that authorities are treating as an act of domestic terrorism.
Witnesses said the gunman opened fire when he entered the kitchen at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in suburban Milwaukee at about 10:30 a.m. CDT (1530 GMT) as women prepared a Sunday meal, sending worshippers fleeing to escape the barrage.
The suspect was a bald, white man, approximately 40 years old, said Thomas Ahern, a spokesman for the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Authorities did not release his identity.
Four people were shot dead inside the sprawling temple. Three, including the gunman, were killed outside.
The gunman ambushed and shot a police officer who was responding to a 911 call and helping a shooting victim, Oak Creek Police Chief John Edwards said. A second officer shot and killed the gunman.
Edwards said he had no identification for the shooter nor information on what kind of weapon or weapons he had. The victims' identities and descriptions were not made public.
The wounded officer, a 20-year veteran, was taken to a hospital and is expected to survive. Hospital officials said two other victims, also in critical condition, were being treated.
Law enforcement personnel surrounded and searched a gray, two-storey house in the Cudahy neighborhood presumed to be the residence of the gunman on Sunday evening. Generators and floodlights were set up along the middle-class block.
A police source confirmed that a search warrant had been issued for the house, and a bomb squad was on the scene.
Temple member and U.S. Army Reserve combat medic Jagpal Singh, 29, said people who were at the service when the shooting broke out described to him a scene of chaos and confusion.
Worshippers scrambled to escape the gunfire, but some tragically ran in the wrong direction. Others survived the rampage by locking themselves in bathrooms, he said.
Singh said the eyewitnesses described the shooter as a white man who was either shave-headed or bald.
"DOMESTIC TERRORIST"
Turban-wearing Sikhs are often mistaken for Muslims, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation is overseeing the probe into shootings, Edwards said.
"We're treating this as a domestic terrorist incident," he told reporters. Officials had no details about a possible motive.
Milwaukee's Froedtert Hospital said three male victims included one who had been shot in the abdomen, one in the extremities and face, and a third who was hit in the neck.
The Oak Creek shooting was the latest in a series of suburban U.S. gun rampages. Organizations fighting gun violence rate Wisconsin's gun safety laws from low to moderate. There are no limits on the number of firearms that can be purchased at one time, nor on the possession or transfer of assault weapons, according to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
Sunday's attack came just over two weeks after a gunman opened fire at a theater in Aurora, Colorado, killing 12 people and wounding 58. In January 2011, then-congresswomen Gabrielle Giffords was the target of an assassination attempt in which six people were killed and 13 were wounded in Tucson, Arizona.
"The gunman is worse than the one at the theater a couple of weeks ago because he targeted an entire community," said Jagatjit Sidhu, who was among dozens of temple members and onlookers gathered near the sealed off temple.
Some witnesses at the scene had said there was more than one gunman, but Edwards said reports of multiple gunmen were common in incidents that involved only one shooter.
"We believe there was one but we can't be sure," he said. Officers finished sweeping the temple only after hours of searching, and Edwards said the investigation was just starting.
President Barack Obama said he was "deeply saddened" and pledged his administration's commitment to fully investigate the shooting.
Obama was briefed by counterterrorism adviser John Brennan and FBI director Bob Mueller and told the situation at the temple was "under control."
"The president said that he wanted to make sure that as we denounce this senseless act of violence we also underscore how much our country has been enriched by our Sikh community," the White House said in a statement.
SIKHS IN U.S.
The Indian embassy in Washington said it was in touch with the National Security Council about the shooting and an Indian diplomat had been sent to the Sikh temple in Wisconsin.
The Sikh faith is the fifth-largest in the world, with more than 30 million followers. It includes belief in one God and that the goal of life is to lead an exemplary existence.
The temple in Oak Creek, south of Milwaukee, was founded in October 1997 and has a congregation of 350 to 400 people. There are an estimated 500,000 or more Sikhs in the United States.
Since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 by Islamist militants, Sikhs have sometimes been confused publicly with Muslims because of their turban headdress and beards.
Members of the Milwaukee Sikh community complained to police and a state representative last year about an upturn in robberies and vandalism at Sikh-owned gas stations and stores.
In September 2001, a Sikh gas station owner in Mesa, Arizona, was shot dead by a man who was said to be seeking revenge on Muslims for the hijacked plane attacks on the United States.
Phoenix police said they were in contact with local Sikh leaders and had increased patrol presence around the three temples in the city until further notice.
New York police said they were increasing security at Sikh temples as a precaution. There are no known threats against temples in the city, they said in a statement.
Sapreet Kaur, executive director of the Sikh Coalition civil rights organization, said Sikhs had been the target of several hate-crime shootings in the United States in recent years.
"The natural impulse of our community is to unfortunately assume the same in this case," he said in a statement.
The LA Times reports that the slain gunman had tattoos that led officials to categorize the shooting domestic terrorism, according to an unnamed federal official.
However, the official did not say whether the shooter was believed to belong to a hate group.
Federal officials cautioned against thinking that a concrete link to a domestic terrorism group or hate group had been established.
“The investigation will have to continue to see and determine the motive,” said a federal law enforcement official who had been briefed on the early planning for the case. “We don’t know much about the motive at this point.”
“The FBI is working closely with the Oak Creek Police Department and other local and federal agencies to investigate today’s shooting incident. This remains an active investigation in its early stages. While the FBI is investigating whether this matter might be an act of domestic terrorism, no motive has been determined at this time. We know our community has been deeply impacted by this incident, and our thoughts are with those affected and particularly with the officer who was wounded in the line of duty to protect others.”
-- FBI Milwaukee Special Agent in Charge Teresa Carlson
As authorities searched a home in Cudahy Sunday evening believed to be the residence of the man who shot and killed six people at an Oak Creek Sikh temple, a woman whose son owns that home shed some light on the shooter.
The mother of the suspect’s landlord told Patch Sunday she believed the man had “just broken up with his girlfriend.”
“He’s a renter,” said the woman, whom Patch is not identifying. “He’s new actually. He rented a room with my son.”
The woman said she is “completely freaked out” and that she believes her son found the man as a renter for his home in the 3700 block of E. Holmes Avenue “through an ad.”
“He lived with my son for three weeks, then the house across the street became empty, and he moved there,” she said.
Press release from Rajan Zed, the President of the Universal Society of Hinduism:
Hindus stand in solidarity with Sikhs in wake of Wisconsin Sikh Temple shooting.
Hindus have condemned the mass shooting at Sikh Temple of Wisconsin (USA) on August five and offered condolences to the victims.
Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said: Our hearts go out to the victims and their families and the community is deeply saddened at this tragedy.
Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, urged Hindus worldwide to join him in prayers for the victims and their families at this difficult and challenging time and urged Hindu temples to hold special prayer sessions for the victims and their families. It was a senseless and shocking violence on a group of worshippers.
Mourning this loss, Rajan Zed pointed out that Sikhs had made lot of contributions to America and the world. Various faith and inter-faith groups nationwide should join hands to express support to the Sikh community and to spread the message of peace, love and harmony at grassroots level, Zed stressed.
We stand in solidarity with the Sikh brothers and sisters, Zed added.
WISN.com interviews Kristin Kohler, who lives in the neighborhood of Cudahy that has been evacuated as police search a house. "I don't even have words to describe. It's just really scary. It's hard to believe, you don't know who your neighbors might be. It's just unbelievable."
Dharma traditions--the Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Hindus--hold non-violence and peaceful co-existence as paramount values. It is a cruel irony that Sikhs, donning the turban as among proud symbols of a spiritual mandate to serve humanity as defenders of dharma against all onslaughts, find themselves sought out and victimized by ignorant assailants on too many occasions.
We call on all Americans today to join Sikhs in mourning a senseless attack. And to take this opportunity not only to learn about the sublime teachings of Sikh gurus, the Sikh faith, and the meanings of its external symbols, but also to join hands to ensure that the gurudwaras remain sanctuaries of joyous worship and celebrated sharing of langar, or community meals, for generations to come.
Statement from Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF):
"The Sikh American community, like all Americans, is shocked after this attack,” said SALDEF Managing Director Kavneet Singh. “We mourn the loss of those who were killed today and pray for the swift recovery of the those injured, including the veteran police officer who put himself in harm's way to protect his community.”
SALDEF thanks our friends and neighbors from across the country for the outpouring of support and condolences as we come together to mourn and heal as one unified national community standing together against violence and bigotry.
“This attack is particularly troubling due to its occurrence at a place of worship,” said Mr. Singh. “All houses of worship, like this gurdwara, are places of peace. Attacks at any of the nation’s houses of worship must be condemned by all Americans. This type of crime strikes at the very foundation of religious freedom, among the fundamental principles upon which this country was built."
A statement by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA, the oldest Muslim organization in the United States:
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA – the oldest Muslim organization in America – strongly condemns this morning’s senseless shooting on worshipers gathered at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in the city of Oak Creek, near Milwaukee. While details of the attack continue to emerge, such brutality and hatred does not represent the otherwise tolerant and peaceful relationships between faith communities in this nation, and Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA calls on all people of conscience to condemn this act. Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA extends its prayers, condolences and sympathy to the Sikh community and hopes that justice will be established as law enforcement search for the suspect.
"The Milwaukee Jewish community stands in solidarity with the Sikh community, and we offer assistance to the community, especially to the families of the victims. While we don't know many details at this point, this may well be an intentional attack on the Sikhs which would make the massacre even more heinous. Our society is based on freedoms of religion and due process of law. We hope that law enforcement will find and hold accountable all parties involved in this senseless and shocking tragedy."
As a Sikh, I believe that people are inherently good. Our faith instills a sense of perpetual optimism, and our traditions teach us to always make the best of a tough situation.
Fear and negativity are foreign to our vocabulary. Sikhs are not a God-fearing people; we are God-loving.
The commitment to love and optimism shapes the way that Sikhs interact with their societies, and I'm concerned that becoming cynical and negative might lead us down a slippery slope.
So I am making a conscious decision. I am refusing to accept that human beings are malicious and hateful, and I am rejecting the notion that we need to live in fear.
CUDAHY, Wis. — Police in Wisconsin have evacuated homes in a Milwaukee suburb northeast of the Sikh temple where an unknown gunman killed six Sunday morning.
The evacuations are in Cudahy, which is about six miles from the temple in Oak Creek.
Police have roped off four blocks in a neighborhood with a mix of duplexes and single-family homes, as well as one house.
FBI agents are there with an armored truck, a trailer and other vehicles. Other law enforcement officers are there too, along with a police dog.
Fifty-eight-year-old Ken Kacner lives about a block from the house that police have targeted.
Kacner says neighborhood has changed over the years and has become more dangerous.
@ RaniaKhalek : Tank, canine unit, FBI, ATF & more equipment surround Cudahy home where residents are being evacuated #TempleShooting http://t.co/1TatWT14
Brady Campaign President Dan Gross today released the following statement in response to the mass shooting at the Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin:
Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their loved ones, and the entire community of Oak Creek after today's terrible shooting at the Oak Creek Sikh Temple in Wisconsin. This is yet another powerful reminder of the need for a real national conversation about what we can do to prevent gun violence tragedies, and for our elected officials and presidential candidates to participate in that conversation by offering real plans to do something about it. There have now been 61 mass shootings since the tragedy last year in Tucson and 100 school shootings since the one at Columbine High School. Tomorrow, another 32 Americans will be murdered by guns.
The American people from across the political spectrum are calling for solutions. We know that we are better than this. It is time for our elected officials and presidential candidates to show us that they know it too.
Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.) has been a leader on Sikh-American issues in Congress, spearheading an effort this spring to get the Justice Department to better collect data on hate crimes against this community.
His statement on Sunday's shooting:
I offer my heartfelt condolences to the families and community of those injured and killed in today’s tragic shooting, and I join the people of Wisconsin and the entire Sikh-American community in mourning. There is no room in any society for such violence.
While we do not yet know the motivations of this senseless act and it’s important to wait for more information from law enforcement, we do know that Sikh-Americans are too often the victims of intolerance and hate. Today we all grieve for those lost in this tragic event.
Just minutes after it was reported that people had been shot at a Sikh Temple in Wisconsin, the hatemongers at Westboro Baptist Church were tweeting out: 'God Sent Another Shooter.'
The World Sikh Council - America Region (WSC-AR), an umbrella organization representing Sikhs in the United States, released this statement on Sunday:
The World Sikh Council - America Region (WSC-AR) is shocked and deeply saddened by the senseless shooting which occurred earlier today at the Sikh Gurdwara of Wisconsin in Oak Creek near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It has been reported that a suspect opened fire on a weekly congregation of the Sikhs while a reading of the Sikh scripture was in progress. Current reports say that there are 7 deaths, including an assailant, and many injured. One brave police officer was also one of those injured.
WSC-AR offers its condolences and support to the victims, their families, the law enforcement agencies (especially the police officer shot in the line of duty) and the surrounding community. This is a troubling day, not only for Sikh-Americans, but also for all Americans.
In the coming days, along with Sikh advocacy organizations, we will be working with public officials, and law enforcement authorities, to understand the events of today and to help the community in whatever way we can. The Council will also be providing support mediums for our interreligious partners and the public as we sort out this situation. This shooting comes on the heels of another tragedy, as our country continues to recover from the senseless shootings in Aurora, Colorado.
We urge all to pray for the victims, their families and friends, and the surrounding community. We also express our gratitude towards the law enforcement authorities for their prompt and effective response to the situation as it unfolded. We offer our appreciation for the bravery of the police officer shot, offer condolences, and pray that he will recover fully soon. As we learn more about the situation, we will keep the public updated and informed. We thank you for your patience and prayers during these difficult times.
"Unfortunately, our history books and our schools, they're not that informative about our culture and religion," Jaskaran Singh said. "There has been a case of mistaken identity...some people think we're Muslim, some consider us Hindus."
The religion has approximately 1 million members in the United States and have been living here for a century, according to Gurinderjit Singh.
The Garden State Sikh Association will discuss possible ways to help the families in Oak Creek, in an attempt to provide financial assistance or in any way that is needed.
At 4:30PM EDT, the President convened a call with FBI Director Bob Mueller, Chief of Staff Jack Lew, and Homeland Security Advisor John Brennan to receive an update on the tragic shooting in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Following that briefing, the President called Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, Oak Creek Mayor Steve Scaffidi and trustee of the Sikh Temple Charanjeet Singh to express his condolences for the lives lost and his concern for those who were injured.
During the briefing, the President was informed that the situation at the Sikh Temple was under control and that the lone gunmen was killed by an Oak Creek police officer. The President also was updated on the condition of some of the victims of the attack, and he directed that the federal government assist as appropriate in the investigation into the shooting. The President said that he wanted to make sure that as we denounce this senseless act of violence we also underscore how much our country has been enriched by our Sikh Community, who are an integral part of our broader American family.
This is a tragic day for our city and for all communities of faith who share grief and concern for the victims of today’s shooting and their loved ones. We also share a deep gratitude to our law enforcement officers. Our prayers are with Milwaukee’s entire Sikh community and we wish them comfort and peace.
President Obama called Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R), according to tweets from the governor.
"Appreciated the call from the President. It is a sad day for the Sikh community, Oak Creek, Wisconsin, and America," he wrote on Sunday evening. "Mentioned to the President that the FBI was part of an excellent team effort of local, state & federal authorities on site."
"Appreciate statements of support from President Obama, Gov Romney and many other officials and organizations," he added.
@ OCMayorSteve : The city of Oak Creek is outraged by this senseless act of violence. Our thoughts are with the families and victims of this tragic event.
"We need protection here, too," said Jaswinder Singh, a committee member at the local Sikh temple. "We’re not feeling safe."
While children -- some too young to understand the gravity of the situation in Wisconsin -- giggle and run down the temple's hallways, Singh said older members are hesitant and scared to come to temple.
"Everyone is calling and contacting the committee, asking if it's safe to come to the temple," he added.
OAK CREEK, Wis., Aug 5 (Reuters) - A gunman killed six people and critically wounded three at a Sikh temple during Sunday services before police shot him dead in an attack that authorities are treating as an act of domestic terrorism.
Witnesses said the gunman opened fire when he entered the kitchen at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in suburban Milwaukee at about 10:30 a.m. CDT (1530 GMT) as women prepared a Sunday meal, sending worshippers fleeing to escape the barrage.
The suspect was a bald, white man, approximately 40 years old, said Thomas Ahern, a spokesman for the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Authorities did not release his identity.
Four people were shot dead inside the sprawling temple. Three, including the gunman, were killed outside.
The gunman ambushed and shot a police officer who was responding to a 911 call and helping a shooting victim, Oak Creek Police Chief John Edwards said. A second officer shot and killed the gunman.
Edwards said he had no identification for the shooter nor information on what kind of weapon or weapons he had. The victims' identities and descriptions were not made public.
The wounded officer, a 20-year veteran, was taken to a hospital and is expected to survive. Hospital officials said two other victims, also in critical condition, were being treated.
Law enforcement personnel surrounded and searched a gray, two-storey house in the Cudahy neighborhood presumed to be the residence of the gunman on Sunday evening. Generators and floodlights were set up along the middle-class block.
A police source confirmed that a search warrant had been issued for the house, and a bomb squad was on the scene.
Temple member and U.S. Army Reserve combat medic Jagpal Singh, 29, said people who were at the service when the shooting broke out described to him a scene of chaos and confusion.
Worshippers scrambled to escape the gunfire, but some tragically ran in the wrong direction. Others survived the rampage by locking themselves in bathrooms, he said.
Singh said the eyewitnesses described the shooter as a white man who was either shave-headed or bald.
"DOMESTIC TERRORIST"
Turban-wearing Sikhs are often mistaken for Muslims, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation is overseeing the probe into shootings, Edwards said.
"We're treating this as a domestic terrorist incident," he told reporters. Officials had no details about a possible motive.
Milwaukee's Froedtert Hospital said three male victims included one who had been shot in the abdomen, one in the extremities and face, and a third who was hit in the neck.
The Oak Creek shooting was the latest in a series of suburban U.S. gun rampages. Organizations fighting gun violence rate Wisconsin's gun safety laws from low to moderate. There are no limits on the number of firearms that can be purchased at one time, nor on the possession or transfer of assault weapons, according to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
Sunday's attack came just over two weeks after a gunman opened fire at a theater in Aurora, Colorado, killing 12 people and wounding 58. In January 2011, then-congresswomen Gabrielle Giffords was the target of an assassination attempt in which six people were killed and 13 were wounded in Tucson, Arizona.
"The gunman is worse than the one at the theater a couple of weeks ago because he targeted an entire community," said Jagatjit Sidhu, who was among dozens of temple members and onlookers gathered near the sealed off temple.
Some witnesses at the scene had said there was more than one gunman, but Edwards said reports of multiple gunmen were common in incidents that involved only one shooter.
"We believe there was one but we can't be sure," he said. Officers finished sweeping the temple only after hours of searching, and Edwards said the investigation was just starting.
President Barack Obama said he was "deeply saddened" and pledged his administration's commitment to fully investigate the shooting.
Obama was briefed by counterterrorism adviser John Brennan and FBI director Bob Mueller and told the situation at the temple was "under control."
"The president said that he wanted to make sure that as we denounce this senseless act of violence we also underscore how much our country has been enriched by our Sikh community," the White House said in a statement.
SIKHS IN U.S.
The Indian embassy in Washington said it was in touch with the National Security Council about the shooting and an Indian diplomat had been sent to the Sikh temple in Wisconsin.
The Sikh faith is the fifth-largest in the world, with more than 30 million followers. It includes belief in one God and that the goal of life is to lead an exemplary existence.
The temple in Oak Creek, south of Milwaukee, was founded in October 1997 and has a congregation of 350 to 400 people. There are an estimated 500,000 or more Sikhs in the United States.
Since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 by Islamist militants, Sikhs have sometimes been confused publicly with Muslims because of their turban headdress and beards.
Members of the Milwaukee Sikh community complained to police and a state representative last year about an upturn in robberies and vandalism at Sikh-owned gas stations and stores.
In September 2001, a Sikh gas station owner in Mesa, Arizona, was shot dead by a man who was said to be seeking revenge on Muslims for the hijacked plane attacks on the United States.
Phoenix police said they were in contact with local Sikh leaders and had increased patrol presence around the three temples in the city until further notice.
New York police said they were increasing security at Sikh temples as a precaution. There are no known threats against temples in the city, they said in a statement.
Sapreet Kaur, executive director of the Sikh Coalition civil rights organization, said Sikhs had been the target of several hate-crime shootings in the United States in recent years.
"The natural impulse of our community is to unfortunately assume the same in this case," he said in a statement.
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