Lt. Brian Murphy, a 20-year veteran, was about to tend to someone who had been shot when the gunman, Wade Michael Page, shot him at close range, Oak Creek Police Chief John Edwards told a news conference today.
Worshipers had come to the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin on Sunday morning for morning services and meditation when the shooting started about 10:30 a.m. Six people were killed, ranging in age from 39 to 84 years old, and three people were seriously wounded, including the officer.
A 9mm handgun with multiple magazines was used in the attack, according to Bernard Zapor, with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. He said the gun was purchased legally, but would not say by whom or whether Page had a concealed handgun permit.
Police said authorities in suburban Milwaukee didn't have any run-ins with Page before Sunday's shootings.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Teresa Carlson also said the agency isn't aware of any past threats made against the temple, and there was no evidence Page had ever been to the temple. Carlson said the agency had no reason to believe he was planning or capable of such violence.
Authorities emphasized that they believe the shooter acted alone. "We are confident at this point that it was only one," Edwards said. "He is the only shooter that was involved at the temple."
However, they displayed a photo of a "person of interest" they are seeking to question.
Among those killed was the president of the temple, Satwant Singh Kaleka. His son, Amardeep Kaleka, said he spotted the person outside the temple Sunday and reported him to police.
Kaleka said an FBI official told him the shooter and the person of interest "have matching tattoos."
"I think it's a highly organized operation," Kaleka said of the attack as he left the briefing for a private meeting between investigators and members of the Sikh community, who announced a briefing of their own Monday afternoon at the Oak Creek Salvation Army.
Sikh men, many of them elderly and wearing turbans, lined the front of the room during the news conference and posed questions to investigators about when the temple can be reopened, whether they will be better protected, whether they will be provided with more information about potential threats, and why it took so long for emergency responders to aide the wounded.
"They were calling us from inside saying, 'We need ambulances.' " one man complained.
Edwards insisted police did the right thing by clearing the scene outside the temple before moving to help those inside.
Officials from the temple said they plan prayers and a vigil at 7 p.m. at the Brookfield temple.
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