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Gunman kills 6 in Sikh temple attack in Wisconsin
by Nutan Kalamdani ( Cinevews.com) on 2012-08-06
by Nutan Kalamdani ( Cinevews.com) on 2012-08-06
Sunday August 5th, 2012: 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 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.
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 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.
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.
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.
President Barack Obama said he was "deeply saddened" and pledged his administration\\\'s commitment to fully investigate the shooting. 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.
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.
India\\\'s prime minister said he was shocked Monday by the shooting attack that killed six people at a Sikh house of worship in the United States, and the top Sikh cleric accused the American government of a "security lapse." The attack at the temple in Wisconsin on Sunday sent worshippers running for cover in what police called an act of domestic terrorism.
Small protests condemning the violence were held in Indian cities Monday and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, himself a member of the Sikh faith, called the assault a "dastardly attack." The killing of six worshippers at a Sikh temple in suburban Milwaukee brought fresh worries Sunday to the half million U.S. followers of a faith whose congregants have worried about their safety since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, when some began targeting adherents of a peaceful religion that stresses the equality of people.
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