The shooting at the Sikh Temple in Oak Creek about 10:15 a.m. Sunday that left at least seven people dead, including the shooter, and three people injured is being treated as a domestic terrorist incident, Oak Creek Police Chief John Edwards said.
Oak Creek police officers who responded to a 911 call about the shooting were helping a victim when the shooter ambushed one of the officers, shooting the officer multiple times.
A second Oak Creek officer returned fire, killing the shooter, Edwards said.
The wounded officer, described as at least a 20-year veteran of the department, was in surgery Sunday afternoon and was expected to survive, Edwards said during a 4 p.m. news conference.
Of those killed, four of the dead were inside the temple at 7512 S. Howell Ave. and three of the dead, including the shooter, were outside the temple.
Shortly after 5 p.m., neighbors said a team of law enforcement officers, including from the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Department and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, had entered a home in Cudahy. Authorities have blocked off several streets surrounding the house.
It was unclear whose home it is and how the search may be related to the shooting itself.
A police SWAT team entered the Oak Creek temple building, 7512 S. Howell Ave, before noon and brought uninjured people out.
At the briefing, Edwards said the building is secure and tactical officers are standing down. He said the officers “stopped a tragedy that could have been a lot worse.”
Edwards said he could not release any information on the shooter, including what the shooter was wearing, saying there are “multiple reports” of different things. He said there were multiple weapons at the scene, but did not say how many or what variety.
Names of the victims also were not being released.
Officials indicated no more information would be released until a briefing at 10 a.m. Monday. They said the FBI will lead the investigation. While some witnesses reported there may have been a second shooter, authorities said there was no indication of that.
A hotline has been established for family members looking for information on those involved. The number is (888) 298-1964.
"— The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, “Sikh Temple Shootings Being Treated as Domestic Terrorism, Police Say” (via inothernews)
