Gunman at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin kills six

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Gunman at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin kills six

Another day of sadness, as this morning, a gunman killed six people at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. As of right now, it doesn’t look like there’s a motive or an identification of the shooter.

Family members gathered outside the temple, or gurdwara, told CNN affilliate WTMJ that survivors were being taken to a nearby bowling alley for questioning. Amardeep Kaleka said his father, congregation president Satwant Kaleka, was shot and wounded when he attempted to tackle the gunman, and his mother — who hid in a closet during the violence — was too distraught to talk.

And Darshan Dhaliwal, another of the gurdwara’s leaders, said Sunday afternoon he wasn’t sure how many were hurt.

“Our dear ones and near ones are injured and hurt, and we are trying to find out what happened,” Dhaliwal told WTMJ.

And another man told the station, “Nobody’s angry here. We’re just confused. Was this a random act? Was this directed at us because of the way we look?”

The Sikh religion originated in northern India in the early 1500s. Sikh men are identifiable by their beards and turbans, but often confused for Hindus or Muslims. There are roughly 25 million Sikhs in the world, 700,000 of whom live in the United States, according to the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund.

The Oak Creek gurdwara has a congregation of 250 to 400, according to its website. “I just want to say this temple was built a number of years ago and there have never been any problems with this temple,” Oak Creek Alderman Dan Jakubczyk said. “They’ve been a plus to this city and to my district.”

Though early reports had suggested there may have been more than one attacker, Wentlandt said officers had not identified any other gunmen. As the search went on, utility crews cut electric and gas service to the building at the request of authorities, said Cathy Schulze, a spokeswoman for area utility We Energies.

The police officer wounded in the assault is a 20-year veteran who was shot multiple times, Wentlandt said, but he was expected to survive. The officer was sent to the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak Creek, south of Milwaukee, after a 911 call about 10:25 a.m. (11:25 a.m. ET). State Rep. Josh Zepnick, who represents much of the Milwaukee area’s Sikh community, said he was “torn to shreds” by the attack.

“It’s a very peace-loving community that has successfully integrated and assimilated into the metropolitan Milwaukee area,” Zepnick told CNN afilliate WTMJ.

Via