Seven people were shot and killed today at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wis., in what officials are treating as a domestic terrorism incident.
Three other people -- two civilians and a police officer -- were injured and were being treated at a local hospital.
Individuals attending Sunday services at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, just south of Milwaukee, fled in all directions this morning when a gunman entered and began firing. Many hid in bathrooms or other rooms within the temple while the shooter attacked, according to police.
Oak Creek Police Chief John Edwards said 911 calls began pouring into the police department around 10:25 a.m.
The first police officer to respond to the scene, a 20-year veteran on the police force, exchanged gunfire with the suspect and sustained multiple gunshot wounds. He is undergoing surgery at Froedtert Hospital, the main trauma center in the Milwaukee region, along with two other injured victims.
The gunman was shot and killed by the police officer outside the temple. Four other people were found dead inside the temple, while two other people were found dead outside the building.
"The officer stopped a tragic event that could've been a lot worse," Edwards said.
Edwards said authorities were treating the event as a domestic terrorism incident and the FBI would be conducting a full investigation.
The police have not given any details on the identity or motive of the shooter or released the identities of the deceased.
Jeffrey Phelps/AP Photo
Edwards said that by 5:30 p.m. EST today the temple had finally been cleared of all remaining people and checked for additional threats. Police tactical teams spent more than four hours securing the temple after the initial reports of the shooting this morning included reports of additional gunmen.
Police asked media outlets to stop broadcasting aerial footage from helicopters on television because of tactical operations at the scene.
Police said that they now believe the reports all described the same gunman. The FBI will be investigating the "scope" of the attack, Edwards said.
Members of the Sikh community in Milwaukee expressed outrage at the shooting.
"They went to church, not knowing that they might die today," said Simran Kaleka, whose family was in the temple, according to ABC News Radio. "I don't know how sick you have to be to do that, and I don't know if it was directed toward the Sikh culture and them having turbans and having beards, but ignorance is not going to get us anywhere."
Among those shot was the president of the temple, Satwant Singh Kaleka, who recently hosted state Rep. Josh Zepnick and the county district attorney to discuss a recent rise in violence against area Sikhs at their stores and businesses, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
"It's gut wrenching," Zepnick said today in response to the shooting. "It certainly makes you wonder about how just how far this epidemic of gun violence goes, where innocent people's lives are put at risk in ordinary day-to-day situations. it makes me sick to my stomach."
On Sundays, Sikh temples, called gurudwaras, serve a community meal at which anyone is welcome as part of their community service. The meal, known as a langar, follows the morning services.
The Sikh religion originated in the Punjab region of India.
"Every single member of my family was inside that church," Simran Kaleka said. "No matter who is shot and killed in there, it's going to affect all of us out here because a lot of people are related here. And it's just, for me, my life flashed before my eyes because it's my whole family."
According to information broadcast over police radio, a witness to the shooting told law enforcement the shooter was a white male, bald, with a heavy build. He was wearing a sleeveless T-shirt, according to Oak Creek Patch. He was last seen with two handguns.
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