UPDATE: Tragedy at the Sikh Temple: 1st Sunday Service Since Attack

Posted: Sun 1:30 PM, Aug 12, 2012

UPDATED Sunday, August 12, 2012 --- 1:28 p.m.

OAK CREEK, Wis. (AP) -- Sikh worshipers in Wisconsin are holding a ceremony involving a flag pole before their first Sunday prayer service since a white supremacist shot and killed six people at their temple.

About 100 people are gathered in the parking lot of the temple in Oak Creek, where several dozen men and boys have taken down a flag pole covered with orange cloth. They are washing it in water and milk before they will rewrap it in a fresh cloth.

Then the group will go inside the temple for more prayers and hymns.

Members began returning to the temple Thursday, after the FBI completed its onsite investigation. They replaced carpets and repaired walls damaged by gunfire but left a dime-sized bullet hole unrepaired in memory of those killed.

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Posted Sunday, August 12, 2012 --- 8:00 a.m.

OAK CREEK, Wis. (AP) — Most of the damage has been repaired at the Wisconsin Sikh temple where a gunman killed six people last weekend. But there will always be one physical reminder of the horrific attack.

It's a bullet hole a little smaller than a dime. It's about waist-high in a door jamb between the lobby and main prayer hall.

Harpreet Singh is the nephew of one of the victims. He tells The Associated Press the hole will remain unrepaired, an effort to ensure that the victims are never forgotten.

Dozens of visitors who stopped by Friday gathered around the hole, photographing it with their cellphones.

Life at the temple is otherwise returning to normal. Worshippers are stopping by for prayers, and kitchen volunteers have resumed cooking food and serving tea to visitors.

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UPDATED: Friday, August 10, 2012 --- 12:55 p.m.

OAK CREEK, Wis. (AP) -- U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has told mourners memorializing six victims of a Sikh temple shooting in suburban Milwaukee that America is rallying around them in support.

Holder says the fatal shooting rampage at the Oak Creek temple Sunday was not only an attack on the Sikh community, but an attack on the values of America itself. He says the Sikh community has inspired the country with its compassionate response to evil.

Holder was one of the last speakers at the memorial service Friday that drew thousands to the Oak Creek High School gymnasium where open, wooden caskets of the six victims were on display.

Gov. Scott Walker, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, and other dignitaries were among those who attended the ceremony.

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UPDATED: Friday, August 10, 2012 --- 11:25 a.m.

OAK CREEK, Wis. (AP) -- Gov. Scott Walker says the Sikh community has shown everyone that the best way to respond to hate is with love.

Walker addressed hundreds of mourners gathered at a memorial service for the Sikh temple shooting victims at Oak Creek High School Friday. The governor told Sikhs that "we mourn with you, we pray with you, we support you."

Somber mourners, wearing scarves on their heads in the Sikh tradition, earlier greeted the families of the six victims with hugs. Six open caskets stand inside the gym with individual flowers on the bodies and a bouquet on the floor. A large video screen flashes photos of those killed and injured.

Beside the six killed Sunday at the Oak Creek Sikh temple, four others were injured, including one man who remains in critical condition.

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UPDATED: Friday, August 10, 2012 --- 10:00 a.m.

OAK CREEK, Wis. (AP) -- A memorial service for six worshipers killed in the shooting at a Sikh temple in suburban Milwaukee is under way at a local high school.

Hundreds gathered in the Oak Creek High School gymnasium Friday where six caskets are standing as photos of those killed flash across a large video screen and a Sikh priest speaks in the native Indian Punjabi.

Mourners are wearing scarves on their heads in Sikh tradition.

After the visitation and service, Sikhs plan to return to the temple where the shootings occurred. Members have spent the last day painting walls and replacing blood-stained carpet.

Five days ago, white supremacist Wade Michael Page shot and killed six people and critically wounded three others inside and outside the temple.

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UPDATED: Friday, August 10, 2012 --- 6:05 a.m.

OAK CREEK, Wis. (AP) -- Thousands of mourners are expected to pay their final respects to the half-dozen Sikh worshippers gunned down by a white supremacist at their Wisconsin temple over the weekend.

Organizers initially allocated two hours for a wake and visitation. But they added two hours to accommodate demand.

Dignitaries scheduled to attend include U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan.

The service will include prayers and hymns. Afterward mourners plan to return to the temple and begin a traditional 48-hour ceremony intended to honor the memories of the victims.

Forty-year-old Wade Michael Page opened fire Sunday at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin. He killed six and wounded three others, including a police officer. He killed himself after a second officer wounded him.

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UPDATED: Thursday, August 9, 2012 --- 12:10 p.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Gov. Scott Walker has visited with families of three shooting victims from Sunday's shootings at a Sikh temple near Milwaukee.

Walker spokeswoman Jocelyn Webster said Thursday that Walker met with two families in Oak Creek and one in Greenfield. She describes the meetings as "very emotional." She says Walker wanted to express his support and sympathy.

She declined to say which families he met with. Seven people were killed in the shootings including the gunman, who police say shot himself after being wounded by an Oak Creek officer.

Walker plans to attend Friday funeral services for the victims.

Webster also says a condolences book will be available on the ground floor of the Capitol for people to express their sympathies for the victims.

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UPDATED: Thursday, August 9, 2012 --- 11:50 a.m.

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- The conditions of two of three people injured during the fatal Sikh temple shooting in Oak Creek have been upgraded at a Milwaukee area hospital.

Froedtert Hospital says the condition of Oak Creek Police Lt. Brian Murphy has been upgraded to satisfactory. Santokh Singh's condition is now serious, but Punjab Singh remains in critical condition.

The three have been hospitalized since Sunday when Wade Page opened fire at the Oak Creek temple and killed six people. Oak Creek Police Chief John Edwards says Lt. Murphy is making amazing progress in his recovery.

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UPDATED: Thursday, August 9, 2012 --- 11:40 a.m.

From Foedtert Medical Center:

Lt. Brian Murphy, the Oak Creek police officer who was shot in Sunday's shooting at a Sikh temple, is progressing well and his condition has been upgraded to Satisfactory. Santokh Singh's condition has been upgraded to Serious. Punjab Singh, the third patient, remains in Critical condition.

A Satisfactory condition status indicates a patient's vital signs are within normal limits and the patient is conscious and functioning.

Serious condition indicates vital signs may be outside normal limits and treatments are being directed toward assisting return to normal limits.

Critical status describes a patient experiencing a life- or limb-threatening condition. Vital signs may or may not be stable.

We will continue to provide updates via email and on our Web site, froedtert.com.

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UPDATED: Wednesday, August 8, 2012 --- 11:00 a.m.

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Oak Creek's police chief says the officer who was shot multiple times after responding to a fatal shooting at a Sikh temple is improving at a Milwaukee area hospital.

Chief John Edwards said during a briefing Wednesday that Lt. Brian Murphy was sitting up and walking at Froedtert Hospital Tuesday. Police say Murphy was shot eight or nine times after he responded to the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin Sunday. Murphy was tending to a victim when he was shot.

Froedtert Hospital spokeswoman Kathy Sieja said Wednesday Murphy and two others injured in the temple shooting rampage are still in critical condition and in the intensive care unit. Six people were killed by a gunman authorities have identified as Wade Michael Page.

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UPDATED: Tuesday, August 7, 2012 --- 10:00p.m.

OAK CREEK, Wis. (AP) -- Hundreds of people gathered in southeastern Wisconsin to remember the six Sikh worshippers who were fatally shot at their temple.

The vigil was held Tuesday night in the Milwaukee suburb of Oak Creek, where a gunman opened fire Sunday at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin.

Attendees held candles and prayed for the victims, remembering them as peaceful individuals dedicated to their families and faith.

Police Chief John Edwards told the crowd that such incidents often prompt anger and calls for revenge, but he says he was struck by the peaceful reaction of the Sikh community.

Temple member Karan Singh Toor noted the crowd was a mix of races, saying it made him "so happy to see how we all come together for peace" and proud to be an American.

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Online:

Sikh Temple of Wisconsin: http://www.sikhtempleofwisconsin.com

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UPDATED: Tuesday, August 7, 2012 --- 9:25 a.m.

WAUWATOSA, Wis. (AP) -- Hospital officials in suburban Milwaukee say the three people injured in a fatal shooting at a Sikh temple remain in critical condition.

The three survivors are at Froedtert Hospital. They include Oak Creek Police Lt. Brian Murphy.

Six people were fatally shot at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin Sunday in Oak Creek. Murphy, one of the first responding officers, was shot multiple times as he tending to a shooting victim outside the temple. Another officer then shot the gunman, identified by authorities as Wade Michael Page.

Santokh Singh was shot through the stomach and was undergoing a second operation. Froedtert officials did not identify the third person injured.

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UPDATED: Tuesday, August 7, 2012 --- 8:20 a.m.

NEW DELHI (AP) -- For 16 years, Lokinder Kaur waited patiently for the day her husband would be reunited with her and their children. That dream died with him in a Sikh temple in Wisconsin.

Ranjeet Singh never came home even once in all those years. He worked at a grocery store during the week and volunteered at the Sikh gurdwara on weekends. He promised his family he was doing what had to be done to get a green card so they could come join him.

He called every few days, even as the months dragged into years. Kaur said she spoke to Singh just the day before a gunman entered the temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, and shot worshipers as they prepared for services on Sunday.

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UPDATED Tuesday, August 7, 2012 --- 7:25 a.m.

OAK CREEK, Wis. (AP) -- The family of a Sikh temple president fatally shot along with five other victims is arranging a joint funeral service in Oak Creek.

Relatives of Satwant Kaleka say the memorial service is open to the community and will be held at Oak Creek High School on Friday morning.

The Kalekas have asked other Sikh families who lost loved ones in the Oak Creek temple shooting Sunday to participate in the service. Kaleka's daughter, Ritu Sharma, tells the Journal Sentinel (http://bit.ly/Rflh4o ) that it's important that the families mourn in solidarity and support each other.

The traditional viewing includes readings from the Sikh holy book. Later the body is moved to a crematorium where only family and close friends are present.

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Information from: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, http://www.jsonline.com

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UPDATED Monday, August 6, 2012 --- 12:05 p.m.

Here are the names of the deceased :

Sita Singh
41-year-old man

Ranjit Singh
49-year-old man

Satwant Singh Kakeka
62-year-old man

Prakash Singh
39-year-old man

Paramjit Kaur
41-year-old woman

Suveg Singh
84-year-old man

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UPDATED Monday, August 6, 2012 --- 10:45 a.m.

1 woman, 5 men killed in Wis. Sikh temple shooting

OAK CREEK, Wis. (AP) -- The police chief of a Wisconsin city where a gunman opened fire at a Sikh temple says the six people killed ranged in age from 39 to 84 years old.

Oak Creek Police Chief John Edwards released details about the victims of the Sunday shooting at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin during a Monday morning news conference. He says those killed included a 41-year-old woman and five men. The gunman was later killed by police.

Edwards says two other men wounded in the shootings remain hospitalized in critical condition, along a police officer shot by the suspect.

Balginder Khattra, of Oak Creek, says the oldest victim was his 84-year-old father, Suveg Singh Khattra. The younger Khattra says his father moved to Wisconsin in 2004 and loved living in America.

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UPDATED Monday, August 6, 2012 --- 10:00 a.m.

Victim: Suveg Singh Khattra

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- The son of one of the seven people shot and killed at a Sikh temple near Milwaukee says his father was a humble man who moved to Wisconsin in 2004.

Balginder Khattra, of Oak Creek, said Monday his 84-year-old father, Suveg Singh Khattra, is among the six victims who police say were killed Sunday.

Khattra says his father didn't speak English, but managed to communicate with neighbors using his hands. Khattra says his father harbored no hatred for anyone and loved living in America.

Khattra says he's a taxi driver and would drop his father at the temple every day. He says both he and his father were born in Patiala, a city in southeastern Punjab, in northern India, where they farmed.

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Posted Monday, August 6, 2012 --- 6:55 a.m.

Victim: Satwant Singh Kaleka

NEW YORK (AP) -- The son of a Sikh temple president says he learned of the Milwaukee temple shooting in a phone call from the temple's priest. His father was shot and killed when the gunman opened fire.

Amardeep Kaleka said on NBC's "Today" show Monday that he got a call from his father's cellphone. But instead of his father on the line, it was the temple priest. He told him his father, Satwant Singh Kaleka, was wounded, saying "He's at my feet. He's laying on the ground."

A gunman opened fire in the temple on Sunday. Seven people, including the suspect, were killed and three others critically injured.

Kaleka says Americans need to learn more about different cultures, adding: "We need to know the nuances because we live together."

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